Islamabad:
Amid Pakistan’s diplomatic efforts to broker a peace deal between the US and Iran, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s office came under fire after a faux pas over a ‘draft’ ceasefire tweet posted from his official account, exposing lapses in digital protocol. Now, a veteran Pakistani journalist, Absar Alam, has alleged that Sharif’s favoured personal aide, nicknamed ‘Pehalwan’ (the Wrestler), was the culprit behind Islamabad’s embarrassment.
In a video widely shared on social media, Alam exposed the startling lack of professionalism in the operations of the Pakistani Prime Minister’s office, intensifying concerns over governance and professionalism at the highest level.
The remarks follow a widely mocked “copy-paste” saga, where a “draft post”, complete with internal instructions, was put out from the Pakistani PM’s official account, causing significant diplomatic embarrassment.
What Pakistani Journalist Said
Absar Alam alleged that the man handling Sharif’s official X account, ‘Pahalwan’, is not very educated but was given the responsibility as he enjoys the protection of a high-ranking federal minister, making him virtually untouchable.
“The man who was previously handling PM’s account was more qualified. However, the new person, who is known as ‘Pahalwan’ inside Shebaz Sharif’s cabinet, is not very educated. Not being very educated does not mean he can’t be very smart. A lot of times, people who are not very educated are very smart and alert, but this person was not very dutiful when he copied and pasted the post as he received it on WhatsApp,” Alam said on X.
وزیر اعظم شہباز شریف کا ٹویٹر اکاونٹ ایک”پہلوان”ہینڈل کرتا ہے اور اس”پہلوان”نے غلط ٹویٹ کر کے وزیر اعظم کی سبکی کرواتے ہوئے وزیراعظم کی”کنڈ”لگوا دی۔پہلوان کسی وزیر کا طوطا ہےاسے فی الحال یہ کہا گیا ہے کہ کچھ دن وزیراعظم کے سامنے نہیں آنا۔
(ابصار عالم)ابصار صاحب۔۔وہ وزیر اور… pic.twitter.com/a4wxgvC4QO
— Asad R Chaudhry (@Asadrchaudhry) April 14, 2026
But more shocking than the error itself was the nature of the “punishment” meted out to ‘Pahalwan’ after the global gaffe. Alam said he only received a mild reprimand and was instructed by the prime minister not to “come before him” for a few days.
“‘Pahalwan’ is some minister’s parrot. For now, he’s been told not to show his face before the Prime Minister for a few days,” he said.
These allegations of protectionist culture and ministerial patronage raise concerns of meritocracy and professional incompetence within the Pakistani Prime Minister’s inner circle.
Pakistan’s Role As Mediator
Since the US and Israel started a bombing campaign on Iran on February 28, Pakistan has emerged as a surprising broker of ceasefire negotiations. Islamabad is relaying proposals between Washington and Tehran and positioning itself as a go-between in the ongoing conflict.
Negotiating teams from the US and Iran could return to Pakistan later this week to resume negotiations to end the war in the Gulf, days after the first peace talks ended without a breakthrough.
