Pakistan PM Sharif’s Arabic-language Twitter account restored after brief suspension

Islamabad: Prime Minister Shehabaz Sharif’s Arabic language official Twitter handle was restored on Tuesday after facing a brief suspension by the micro-blogging website.

A day earlier (Monday) the government had announced the launch of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s first official Arabic language Twitter account ‘@ShehbazAr.’

However, the government’s digital media team faced embarrassment on Tuesday morning when the micro-blogging website suspended the account leaving netizens guessing about possible cause/violation behind the suspension.

The PM’s Digital Media Focal Person Abubakar Umer, however, came to the rescue of the premier announcing it was only a technical hitch. “It’s a verification issue. Twitter needs an ID to complete its verification process. It will be provided shortly. Thanks for pointing it out,” he said.

Later, he announced the account had been restored.

The Pakistan government had launched the official Twitter handle of Sharif in Arabic to strengthen the bond of friendship and accelerate engagements with the “brotherly people” of the Arab countries.

Sharif’s fondness for Arabic is an open secret. On April 25, while hosting an Iftaar dinner in honour of the Muslim ambassadors, the Prime Minister surprised everyone when he delivered a speech in Arabic.

This was his first interaction with the heads of the missions of the Muslim countries after taking oath as the 23rd Prime Minister of Pakistan.

The Pakistan government and the opposition parties are increasingly relying on social media to propagate their message and to ‘expose’ the shortcomings of their opponents.

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) vice president and daughter of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif Maryam Nawaz Sharif a day earlier also launched the party’s ‘Instagram team’ in Lahore.

In her address, she commended the social media team of the party, mostly youngsters and volunteers for a robust presence on Twitter and called for the same devotion and dedication in spreading the message of the party leadership on Instagram.