PTI leader and former minister of state Shehryar Afridi was stopped at the New York airport for secondary screening. The development has sparked a series of rumours and fake news that include a photograph of Afridi undergoing a stripped-down body search.
However, the Pakistan embassy in Washington says Afridi went through secondary screening only briefly and was allowed to leave without any guarantee being sought or offered.
Shehryar Afridi is the chairman of the Parliamentary Special Committee on Kashmir.
One new report by journalist Azeem M Mian said Afridi was stopped at the airport for “over one hour” though he was travelling on the official passport. The report said Pakistan Consul General in New York Ayesha Ali had to go to the airport to deal with the situation.
The Consul General would not comment about the incident, the report said.
Journalists Saleem Safi, meanwhile, tweeted a picture that showed Afridi being stripped at the airport for screening. The picture turned out to be photoshopped and Safi admitted to the faux pas, saying he had been played by “some forgers.”
Maleeha Shahid, the spokesperson at the Pakistan embassy, told journalists that as a first-time visitor Afridi was put through secondary screening briefly, but he was allowed to go without any delay.
The spokesperson said the Pakistani diplomatic mission did not give any guarantee nor was it sought.
Other reports say Pakistan’s mission in New York did confirm Afridi’s credentials and he was allowed to leave without any guarantee being sought.
Who is Shehryar Afridi?
Shehryar Afridi was minister of state between 2018 and 2020. He moved from the ministry of interior to the frontier region and then to narcotics control. In September 2020, Prime Minister Imran Khan removed him as minister of state.
In May 2020, he was appointed chairman Parliamentary Special Committee on Kashmir, a position held previously by JUIF’s Maulana Fazlur Rehman for several years.
Afridi first ran for the National Assembly from Kohat in the 2002 general election as an independent candidate. He could not win but secured a PTI ticket in the 2013 general elections and made it to the National Assembly.
In 2018, he was re-elected as a PTI candidate from Kohat.
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