Pakistani Major General Asif Ghafoor Tweets Picture of Baloch Leader Standing on Indian Flag; Draws Flak on Social Media

Islamabad, July 15: Major General Asif Ghafoor, the Director-General of the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) of Pakistan sparked controversy on July 14 by tweeting a picture of Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) leader Siraj Raisani standing on Indian flag. In another picture Raisani was sitting on a sofa with the Indian flag wrapped on his shoe.

Ghafoor in his tweet called Raisani a national hero. The Pakistani Army officer tweeted, “Salute to our national hero #SirajRaisani. A truly proud Pakistani who made enemies of Pakistan afraid. Your passion, mission & message shall be carried forward. We owe you, and we shall not let your sacrifice go waste. Welcome to the great family of 'Martyred sons of Pakistan.”

The general-rank officer drew flak on social media for his controversial tweet from the Twitter users of India and Pakistan. Twitter users even advised him of maintaining the dignity of his post. One of the netizens termed it as a humiliating post and asked him to respect humanity.

The Baloch leader was killed in the suicide bomb blast that took place in Mastung on July 13. Around 128 people were killed and over 200 injured in the blast that rocked Balochistan. Pakistan army chief Javed Qamar Bajwa also expressed grief over the death of Raisani. Gafoor conveyed Bajwa’s condolences through his official Twitter handle.

Raisani was contesting an election from PB-35. The slain leader was the younger brother of Nawab Aslam Raisani who served as the Balochistan chief minister from 2008 to 2013. Various political leaders of Pakistan expressed grief over Raisani’s death.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 15, 2018 01:23 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).