'Didn't intend to mock': Maryam Nawaz deletes tweet on slain Pak journo after huge outrage

Maryam Nawaz, Vice President of PML-N (Pakistan Muslim League- Nawaz), has drawn heavy criticism due to her recent tweet on Arshad Sharif, a journalist who was shot dead under mysterious circumstances in Nairobi, Kenya. Nawaz retweeted a tweet, which said that the journalist used to malign the image of the PML-N leader's father and former Prime Minister of Pakistan- Nawaz Sharif. She said that Arshad Sharif used to make fun of other people's deaths and now his time had come. In a now-deleted retweet, as reported by the Express Tribune, Maryam Nawaz wrote along with a picture of Arshad Sharif's coffin, "I don’t feel good RTing this but this is a lesson for the mankind that we must all imbibe".

Maryam later apologised through a tweet

Taking to Twitter, Maryam later apologised for her previous tweet saying, "My tweet was NOT aimed at mocking someone but about learning our lessons from the past. I am undoing the tweet & apologise for the hurt it may have caused to the aggrieved which never was my intention. May no one ever have to go through this pain. Prayers for the bereaved family." She even extended her condolences to the bereaved family and stated that, "May no one ever have to go through this pain".

However, netizens were not ready to accept the "halfhearted apology". An economic wizard, Mir Mohammad Ali Khan, said that "If every forgiveness was acceptable, then Allah would not have created hell." Saleem Safi, a journalist wrote: "I was very saddened by this retweet, which reflects the vengeful mentality of Maryam Nawaz".

Sharif was allegedly living in hiding after receiving death threats

Arshad Sharif had worked for several media outlets during his lifetime and was an outspoken critic of the Pakistani government. He was allegedly receiving death threats due to his critical reporting and was living in hiding in Nairobi. There, he was shot dead by law enforcement officials in the Panjani area. Apparently, the journalist and his driver accidentally breached a roadblock that was placed to track a carjack where a child was held as a hostage and the car that the police were on the lookout for was similar to that vehicle. Meanwhile, the Independent Policing Oversight Authority is investigating the case.