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Pakistanis turn to humor on social media as Trump supporters storm US Capitol

Supporters of US President Donald Trump, including Jake Angeli (C), a QAnon supporter known for his painted face and horned hat, enter the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, in Washington, DC. Demonstrators breeched security and entered the Capitol as Congress debated the a 2020 presidential election Electoral Vote Certification. (AFP)
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Updated 08 January 2021
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Pakistanis turn to humor on social media as Trump supporters storm US Capitol

  • Social media users compared Wednesday’s events in Washington with Islamabad in 2014 when protesters tried to storm parliament and managed to ransack state TV
  • The 2014 protests were led by now PM Imran Khan who was then an opposition leader agitating against what he said was a rigged 2013 general election
Updated 08 January 2021
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistanis on social media resorted to humor and satire on Thursday morning to comment on hundreds of President Donald Trump supporters storming the United States Capitol on Wednesday in a stunning bid to overturn his election defeat. 

For the most part, users compared Wednesday’s events in Washington DC with what had happened in Islamabad in 2014, when supporters of former international cricketer Imran Khan, chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) political party, and now prime minister of Pakistan, tried to climb container barricades to storm parliament in August that year. 

Days later, Pakistan’s national PTV channel and its English-language PTV World service were taken off the air after protesters stormed its headquarters in central Islamabad.

The protests in 2014 were against the then-government of PM Nawaz Sharif, who Khan alleged had come to power through a rigged 2013 general election.

“Who wore it better?” the satirical publication, The Dependent, tweeted, showing a picture of Americans climbing the walls of the Capitol against Pakistanis trying to climb over the parliament gates. 

“Washington DC is so Islamabad 2014 right now,” policy analyst Mosharraf Zaidi tweeted.

Rightwing, conservative analyst Zaid Hamid said: “Imagine if this was Islamabad ....a “Taliban takeover of nuclear armed Pakistan” would be the headlines in all global papers... This is US government taken over by American taliban..... It’s time for international intervention..Let’s send in Iraqi and Afghan forces first!”

“Reports indicate that Faisal Vawda is on his way to save capitol with his pistol,” one Twitter user said, adding: “Aap ne ghabrana nahi hai @ US Senators,” a spin on a famous and hugely satirized statement by PM Khan asking his supports “not to worry.”

Vawda, a federal minister, made headlines in 2018 when he showed up at the scene of an attack at Karachi’s Chinese consulate with a gun, and told reporters: “I have a Glock and a lot of other things. InshAllah this is our country and we will fight for it.”

“This is what I wanted to escape when I left Pakistan,” said Dr. Faeem Younus, vice president and chief of quality and infectious diseases at the University of Maryland.

Topics: US capitol COngress Pakistan Joe Biden Twitter

Pakistani, Bangladeshi officials discuss trade, investment and aviation as ties thaw

Updated 53 min 45 sec ago
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Pakistani, Bangladeshi officials discuss trade, investment and aviation as ties thaw

  • Pakistan and Bangladesh were once one nation, but they split in 1971 as a result of a bloody civil war
  • Ties between Pakistan, Bangladesh have warmed up since last year and both nations have resumed sea trade
Updated 53 min 45 sec ago
Hasaan Ali Khan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's High Commissioner to Bangladesh Imran Haider on Sunday met Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus in Dhaka, the latter's office said on, with the two figures discussing trade, investment and aviation.

Pakistan and Bangladesh were once one nation, but they split in 1971 as a result of a bloody civil war, which saw the part previously referred to as East Pakistan seceding to form the independent nation of Bangladesh.

Ties between Pakistan and Bangladesh have warmed up since former prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s ouster as a result of a student-led uprising in August 2024. Relations remain frosty between Dhaka and New Delhi over India’s decision to grant asylum to Hasina.

Pakistan has attempted to forge closer ties with Bangladesh in recent months and both South Asian nations last year began sea trade, followed by efforts to expand government-to-government commerce.

"During the meeting, both sides discussed ways to expand cooperation in trade, investment, and aviation as well as scaling up cultural, educational and medical exchanges to further strengthen bilateral relations between the two South Asian nations," Yunus's office said in a statement on X.

In 2023-24 Pakistan exported goods worth $661 million to Bangladesh, while its imports were only $57 million, according to the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan. In Aug. this year, the Pakistani and Bangladeshi commerce ministries signed a memorandum of understanding to establish a Joint Working Group on Trade, aiming to raise their bilateral trade volume to $1 billion in the financial year that began in July.

The Pakistani high commissioner noted that bilateral trade has recorded a 20 percent growth compared to last year, with business communities from both countries actively exploring new investment opportunities, according to the statement.

He highlighted a significant increase in cultural exchanges, adding that Bangladeshi students have shown strong interest in higher education opportunities in Pakistan, particularly in medical sciences, nanotechnology, and artificial intelligence. Haider also said that Dhaka-Karachi direct flights are expected to start in January.

"Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus welcomed the growing interactions between the two countries and emphasized the importance of increased visits as well as cultural, educational and people-to-people exchanges among SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) member states," the statement read.

"Professor Yunus also underscored the need to further boost Bangladesh–Pakistan trade and expressed hope that during Mr. Haider’s tenure, both countries would explore new avenues for investment and joint venture businesses."

Topics: Pakistan Bangladesh Ties

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