Foreign office takes notice of heckling of Ishaq Dar in US

FO spokesperson says host countries also take notice of such incidents and take action as per their own laws

The Foreign Office has taken notice of heckling incident involving Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, who was jeered by overseas Pakistanis at a US airport on Thursday.

In a video which went viral on social media, it can be seen that a Pakistani national said harsh words, after which Dar told the protester that “you are a liar”. The person called the federal minister “a thief and a liar”.

Finance Minister Ishaq Dar was confronted by vitriolic slogans of 'thief' and 'liar' at an airport in Washington US - to which his companion retorted through a shouting match of swear words as he ushered the financial czar away from the protesters.#etribune #news #ishaqdar pic.twitter.com/KaxzQ1bjf2

— The Express Tribune (@etribune) October 13, 2022

Responding to a question at a weekly press briefing on Friday, FO spokesperson Asim Iftikhar said, “We are aware of these incidents and the host authorities also take notice of these incidents, and often they take actions according to their own rules and regulations.

He also cited an example of a similar incident in which a Saudi court sentenced a Pakistani national to three years in prison for chanting slogans against Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his entourage, in Madina, during their maiden visit to Saudi Arabia in late April this year.

Also read: Dar faces derogatory remarks at US airport

“What happened in Saudi Arabia, you are aware of that, the Saudi authorities took notice of that and took action. We keep track of this,” he added.

“I think it is incumbent on all of us, Pakistanis here and abroad, to be mindful of the image of the country, always,” the spokesperson added.

It should be noted that Dar is in the US to attend the annual meetings of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.

Pakistan will seek new terms from international lenders after devastating floods hit the country. According to a statement from the Ministry of Finance, the finance minister briefed the agencies about the devastation in the country which has affected infrastructure, crops and people's livelihoods.