New Delhi: Balochistan is in the middle of a security crisis but people think Pakistani President Arif Alvi is busy playing Wordle, the new viral social media puzzle. The President tweeting his Wordle score, before deleting it, when the country is mourning soldiers killed in Baloch attack has left many Pakistanis angry.
They think “Alvi was wordling when Balochistan was burning. Alvi reminded them of Nero, the last Roman emperor from the Julio-Claudian dynasty. History accuses Nero of fiddling while Rome was burning.
When Rome was burning , Nero was playing flute
When Balaouchistan was burning , Alvi was playing Wordle ..
Check priorities of current regime@ArifAlvi pic.twitter.com/ddPoimzwsg
— Sanam Jamali?? (@sana_J2) February 3, 2022
The Pakistani President has done this in past—post and delete after backlash. In November 2020, he deleted his tweet, citing ‘wrong information’. The President had wrongly tweeted that former Prime Minister Mir Zafrullah Jamali had died while he was still on ventilator. Back then, many had wondered if the President of Pakistan gets wrong information, what will happen to the common man.
I have deleted the Tweet, based on wrong info with apologies to the family. Mir Zafrullah Jamali is on the ventilator. I talked to Omar Jamali who confirmed this. May Allah grant him immediate recovery.
— Dr. Arif Alvi (@ArifAlvi) November 30, 2020
Journalist Syed Talat Hussain called the President’s act shameful.
It is shameful that this president has nothing better to do than to play silly games at a time the country is facing grim security and economic challenges. He has nothing to say even on the ongoing Balochistan terrorism events. pic.twitter.com/pacxGMEV0G
— Syed Talat Hussain (@TalatHussain12) February 3, 2022
Taking a shot at the President, a user said: “Credit where it’s due, he’s better at Wordle than his government is at governing.”
Credit where it's due, he's better at Wordle than his government is at governing. https://t.co/URaEQFbJGG
— ظلِ الہٰی (@XilleIlahi) February 3, 2022
Mocking Imran Khan’s election call of ‘Naya Pakistan’, another Twitter account wrote, “This is Naya #Pakistan (new Pakistan). When whole country is on HIGH ALERT due to #Balochistan war & Soldiers are dying, PM of Pakistan is on #China tour & President of Pak is playing Wordle on twitter. This is called level of “Aap ne Ghabrana nahi hai”
Some Pakistanis saw an ‘end of Pakistan’ in the President’s tweets.
Don’t you have anything else to do? Look at your tweets, you have nothing better to post. If someone looked at your account it looks like it is the end for Pakistan. You even find how to report a positive in negative way. Looks like the envelope is too big to say anything else.
— Alam (@Alamkhan025) February 3, 2022
In a tweet that may not have anticipated the backlash, President’s son Awab Alvi suggested that the whole family is fond of the game, including the President’s grandchildren.
I know he enjoys puzzles – so it was definitely something he would get hooked onto
An internal family competition is the new rage, including a few of his grandkids ? https://t.co/46pgC8mI1v
— Awab Alvi (@DrAwab) February 3, 2022
Balochistan’s Panjgur and Naushki witnessed terrorist attacks on the security forces’ camps Wednesday evening. A total of 13 attackers were killed and seven soldiers died in retaliation. These attacks come close on the heels of the recent violence in Kech, Balochistan, on the night of 25-26 January. Baloch insurgents had targeted security posts, which resulted in deaths of 10 soldiers.
Commenting on the attack, Pakistani daily Dawn said in its editorial: “Coming as Prime Minister Imran Khan embarked on a visit to China, the attacks sent out an ominous message: the security situation may well be getting out of hand”.