Screengrab of one of the videos showing the harassment of Marriyum Aurangzeb
Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb was harassed by a group of prominent Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) supporters on Sunday while she was getting coffee at a café in London, with videos of the incident going viral on social media.
According to the videos, several filmed by the PTI supporters themselves, they surrounded Aurangzeb while she was getting coffee and started heckling and abusing her. Aurangzeb can be seen calmly listening to their abuse as the verbal tirade continues.
“Marriyum Aurangzeb is spending Pakistan’s looted money in London,” shouted one PTI supporter, while another criticizes her for not covering her head.
After the videos went viral, the information minister personally addressed the incident in a posting on Twitter, lamenting it was a result of the “toxic” politics introduced by PTI Chairman Imran Khan. “Sad to see the toxic impact [Imran Khan]’s politics of hate and divisiveness has had on our brothers and sisters,” she said. “I stayed and answered each and every question they had. Sadly, they are victims of [Imran Khan]’s propaganda. We will continue our work to counter Imran Khan’s toxic politics and bring people together,” she added.
Several of her colleagues in the federal government, as well as members of the general public, appreciated her composure and slammed the protesters for harassing a woman in public. Former finance minister Miftah Ismail, who is also in London, said he “saluted” Aurangzeb for her “grace and composure” in the face of harassment and baseless lies.
Similarly, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal described the abuse by “PTI hooligans” as “deplorable, condemnable and shameful.” Claiming the PTI was employing “Hitler’s tactics,” he termed Khan a “fascist” who was turning his followers into street gangs. “Well done [Marriyum Aurangzeb], you showed grace and faced them boldly,” he said. “Truly a lioness!”
Bakhtawar Bhutto-Zardari, the sister of incumbent Foreign Minister Bilawal, also supported Aurangzeb’s response: “Ugly trolls silent on Imran Khan caught stealing from charity, calling [Osama bin Laden] a shaheed, calling victims of terrorism blackmailers and justifying rape on clothing.”
This is the second time Aurangzeb has been harassed by PTI supporters in public. Earlier this year, while on an official tour to Saudi Arabia, she and Narcotics Control Minister Shahzain Bugti were surrounded by a mob that abused them upon their entry to the Masjid-e-Nabawi in Madinah. At least five Pakistani nationals were later arrested and sentenced to prison for the incident.