As 27-year-old Arshad Nadeem made history by securing a gold medal in the javelin throw at the 2024 Olympics, placing Pakistan on the Olympic medal list, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif quickly took to X to congratulate the athlete. However, the Prime Minister’s post included an old photo of him presenting a Rs 1 million cheque to Nadeem, which sparked a wave of criticism and a flood of memes across social media.
The controversy escalated when a video surfaced showing Pakistani politician Rana Mashood attributing Nadeem’s opportunity to participate in the Paris Olympics to Shehbaz Sharif. The footage captures Mashood and Sharif celebrating as Nadeem clinched his historic Olympic gold with a record-breaking throw of 92.97 meters.
Nadeem’s triumph not only marked Pakistan’s first individual Olympic gold medal, but also saw India’s Neeraj Chopra, who had previously won gold at the Tokyo Olympics, settle for silver with a season’s best throw of 89.45 meters.
Shehbaz Sharif’s post on X drew significant backlash, with many users criticizing the choice of image. “Just look at their mentality! Why on earth would you upload a picture giving him a cheque of Rs 1 million? Classless and clueless,” one user tweeted.
Another user condemned the post as an insult to both Arshad and the nation, saying, “Shame on you for showing the world that you once gave him a million rupees for his outstanding achievement in which the government had no contribution whatsoever.”
A third user commented on the insensitivity of the post, pointing out the struggles Arshad has faced, saying, “What shamefulness. Everyone knows the struggle of Arshad and even his house right now gives it away.”
Another user urged the Prime Minister to remove the image, tweeting, “Mr Prime Minister, at least congratulate gracefully… What this boy has done is priceless. Recommend him for Nishan-e-Imtiaz.”
