Left scratching our heads: Gift of the gaffe?

While some public statements in 2013 can be overlooked as harmless slips, others were downright inexcusable.

Bilawal Bhutto



“Dear Burgers, Sorry abt Skype/Viber/Whtsapp. Excuse us while we catch some terrorists and save some lives. SMS for 3months. Sincerely BBZ.”

Co-chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party Bilawal B Zardari tweeted when news spread that the Sindh government might ban a few social networking applications.

Imran Khan



“When you go out to vote, don’t forget to stamp the lion.”

PTI leader Imran Khan to his supporters during an election rally.

Stephanie Banister 



“I don’t oppose Islam as a country, but I do feel that their laws should not be welcome here in Australia.”

Australian anti-immigration election candidate Stephanie Banister during a television interview.

Lauren Green



“I want to be clear, you are a Muslim. So why did you write about the founder of Christianity?”

Religion correspondent for Fox News Lauren Green during an interview with author Reza Aslan about his new book on Jesus.

Basharal Assad



“The 2013 Nobel Peace Prize should have been given
to me.”

Syrian President Basharal Assad expresses his opinion on the Nobel peace prize nominations.

Tony Abbott



“If you want to know who to vote for, I’m the guy with the not bad-looking daughters.”

Australia’s 28^th Prime Minister Tony Abbott calls out for voter support on the reality show Big Brother.

Noman Ansari is a freelance writer and a regular contributor to several publications. He tweets @Pugnate

Published in The Express Tribune, Sunday Magazine, December 29^th, 2013.