Pakistan nationwide meeting rejects Twitter apology of Munir Akram for hurting sentiments of Pashtun group

On February 14, Pakistan’s National Assembly’s standing committee on Foreign Affairs chaired by MNA Mohsin Dawar refused to just accept the apology tendered on Twitter by the everlasting consultant to the UN of Pakistan, Munir Akram and requested him to formally apologise for insulting the Pashtun tradition. Notably, Akram has used ‘Pashtun’ as an alternative of the Taliban throughout his deal with on the United Nations, claiming ‘Pashtun culture requires women to be kept at home’. His assertion sparked controversy, after which he apologised on the social media platform Twitter.

In its assertion, the committee stated an apology rendered on the social media platform couldn’t mirror the grievances expressed by the Pakhtuns worldwide. Expressing his dismay over Akram’s remarks, Dawar stated banning ladies from public locations is a observe adopted by the Taliban, and it’s not a part of the Pashtun tradition. He blamed Akram for placing the Pashtun tradition in a unfavorable gentle on the UN in a “proper speech”.

At the committee assembly, Akram stated, “I took a balanced view as Taliban are not represented in the UN body. If restrictions are imposed on humanitarian assistance, it would add problems for Pakistan. (And in doing so) I mistakenly used the word Pashtun instead of Taliban. I tendered the apology on Twitter.” Unsatisfied with Akram’s reply, Akram confronted him and requested if he was representing the Taliban on the UN. He added because the Taliban seized energy at gunpoint, they shouldn’t be allowed on the UN.

Sindhi member of the committee Ghulam Ali Talpur urged Akram to resign from his submit. He stated, “Since you have hurt Pashtuns, don’t you think that you should resign?” However, Akram threw the ball within the Government of Pakistan’s courtroom and stated that they had the facility to take away him if the federal government wished to take away him.

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar had completely different views on the committee assembly. She got here ahead to help Akram and requested the members to just accept his apology. She claimed everybody makes a mistake, she gave an instance of how Americans made a mistake in Afghanistan. Dawar didn’t take the comparability properly and alleged that Pakistan was equally liable for what occurred in Afghanistan, referring to the Taliban’s takeover of the nation after staying out of energy for 20 years. He stated, “We are equally responsible for what happened in Afghanistan, as we kept helping the Taliban for 20 years. The entire world was responsible for what happened in Afghanistan.”

The assertion made by Munir Akram

On February 1, talking on the Humanitarian scenario throughout a UN assembly, Akram claimed that the ban imposed on ladies from going to public locations was not from a spiritual perspective however a ‘peculiar cultural perspective of the Pashtun Culture’. He stated, “From our perspective, the restrictions that have been put by the Afghan interim government flow, not so much from a religious perspective, as from a particular cultural perspective of the Pashtoon culture, which requires women to be kept at home.”

He added that the cultural norms had been a part of Afghanistan for tons of if not hundreds of years. “So to expect a complete transformation overnight on the condition that aid will stop to the Afghan people if they do not adhere to international standards, I think that is a rather optimistic expectation,” he added.

He urged the donor group to not stroll away from Afghanistan and “hoped” the Secretary General’s enchantment to offer financial assist price $4.4 Billion to Afghanistan can be fulfilled.

Akram was criticised extensively for utilizing ‘Pashtun’ as an alternative of the Taliban. Following the flak he acquired on-line and offline, Akram tendered an apology on Twitter on February 3, two days after his remarks. He wrote, “My apologies for the hurt caused by my comments at the humanitarian briefing on Afghanistan. I misspoke, and my words did not accurately reflect Pakistan’s position. I have deep respect for Pashtun culture. Denying women and girls access to education is neither Islamic nor Pashtun culture.”

My apologies for the damage brought on by my feedback on the humanitarian briefing on Afghanistan.I mispoke & my phrases didn’t precisely mirror Pakistan’s place.I’ve deep respect for Pashtun tradition.Denying ladies & women entry to schooling is neither Islamic,nor Pashtun tradition

— Amb Munir Akram,Permanent Representative to the UN (@PakistanPR_UN) February 3, 2023

Pashtuns, or Pakhtuns, popularly referred to as Pathans, are a predominant ethnic group of Afghanistan. Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa shares a border with Afghanistan and has a notable Pashtun inhabitants.