ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League–Quaid (PML-Q) leader and Minister for Housing Tariq Bashir Cheema landed himself in hot water after videos emerged showing him and his family receiving vaccination shots for the coronavirus at home.
Federal Minister for Housing and Works Tariq Bashir Cheema supervises the Covid-19 vaccination of his entire family – at his home pic.twitter.com/hpZ681frMF
— omar r quraishi (@omar_quraishi) March 29, 2021
Several clips making rounds on social media showed a nurse giving jabs to the family in a clear violation of government policy governing the Covid-19 vaccination process.
Moreover, people in the video are seen flashing the thumbs-up sign after being administered the jab.
In a related development, model-turned-television host Iffat Omar also encountered a similar situation. She was tagged in a now-deleted video and rounded on for what Twitterverse said was using her privilege to jump the queues, disrupt the system, and then flaunt it on social media platforms.
This lady is neither a front line health worker nor above 60 years of age. She is a leading actress @OmarIffat who criticises the govt which is fine but talks about ethics too. In this pic she is being vaccinated for covid how thats a?..Where are her ethics and principles now? pic.twitter.com/036NYI4VcB
— Ammad Yousaf (@AmmadYousaf) March 29, 2021
So far, the government has started issuing vaccines for frontline healthcare workers and those over the age of 60. However, neither the minister nor the television personality fit into this category.
However, Cheema — in a statement reported by TV channels — denied using his influence to have members of his family vaccinated. He claimed that teams from the University of Health Sciences (UHS) came to his residence to administer a booster shot of a trial vaccine, adding it had done the same before.
Twitterverse have also been pointing out the risk that those getting the vaccine out of turn are posing to the ones who are eligible to receive it in the phased drive.
Omar has also been called out for her hypocrisy since she has spoken against an inefficient legal system and government earlier but has now allegedly broken the law herself.
In a subsequent tweet, she shared a television clip to justify her claim of “booster shots” in a now-deleted tweet.
Folks – take it easy! pic.twitter.com/EdhZccgFMK
— Iffat Omar Official (@OmarIffat) March 29, 2021
She deleted this tweet: pic.twitter.com/AzvOokRGch
— Hasan Saeed (@hasansaeed6) March 29, 2021
Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Political Communication Shehbaz Gill took a shot at the host, who often posted her videos, critical of the government, on the internet.
