A twitter war has reportedly cost Nadeem Afzal Chan his posts in the present PTI set up. He has to tender his resignation as prime minister’s spokesperson and special assistant.
A source close to Chan has said that he sent his resignation to the prime minister.
Chan kept silence on his resignation and offered no comment.
Chan recently had a spat with Shehbaz Gill, another spokesperson, on the issue of killing of coal miners in Machh, Quetta. Chan had tweeted in Urdu that means: “O bodies of helpless labourers, I feel ashamed.” The tweet was posted on January 8. Chan did not direct the tweet at anybody.
Till then, the prime minster has not visited Quetta as demanded by the relatives of the slain workers, protesting Hazara community and the opposition.
The same day, Shebaz Gill retorted by saying “both of you are respectable to me. When your leader takes a difficult decision, you have to defend it. It is easy for me to keep silent. Refrain from media. Side with popular narrative.” He wrote further that he was defending his leader in the face of criticism.
Nadeem Afzal Chan responded with another tweet, again in Urdu. “In the present-day politics, it is commonplace to hurl abuses at politicians. I have never done this in the past and would not do it now,” he wrote.
A day after the twitter duel, Prime Minister Imran Khan told his ministers during a meeting that those criticising the government policies would be expelled from his cabinet.
Sources claim that Chan’s resignation is a sequel to the PM’s harsh rhetoric. They, however, denied that he has quit the PTI.
Chan was appointed special assistant on parliamentary affairs on January 15, 2019. A former PPP stalwart, he was elected to National Assembly in 2008. He joined the PTI in 2018.
