Pakistan minister who was schooled by CNN anchor fumbles when asked about India’s strikes: ‘I can’t hear you properly’
Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif, who was recently left red-faced after getting schooled by a CNN anchor during an interview, is getting trolled again after allegedly trying to dodge a question about India’s strikes.
Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif. (REUTERS)
‘From ‘it’s all over social media’ to ‘I can’t hear you properly’,” an X user wrote while posting a snippet of the minister’s interview with an anchor of Al Arabiya, a Saudi Arabia-based news channel.
“Can you share evidence, and do you have details on the attack?” the anchor asks Asif. To which, the minister pauses for a second and then fumbles for a moment before saying, “I can’t hear you properly.”
The anchor, speaking loudly, asks, “Can hear me now, minister.” He replies by asking her to speak loudly.
Interaction with CNN anchor:
Just a few days earlier, the minister failed to provide evidence when asked about Pakistan’s claims of shooting down five Indian fighter jets. “It’s all over social media. On Indian social media, not on our social media,” he replied, adding, “The debris of these jets fell… and it’s all over Indian media,” he replied when asked to provide proof.
The anchor interrupted and remarked, “You’re the defence minister, sir. The reason to talk to you today, sir, is not to talk about content all over social media. I’m sorry.”
Tensions between India and Pakistan escalated, resulting in exchanges of gunfire and airstrikes after Operation Sindoor on May 7. In the early morning of Wednesday, India targeted nine terrorist infrastructure sites in “Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir”, adding that these were the places “from where terrorist attacks against India have been planned and directed.”
The strike was a retaliation for the deadly attack in Pahalgam on April 22 that claimed the lives of 25 Indian civilians and one Nepali citizen. In a statement, the Indian government clarified that no Pakistani military facilities were targeted during the operation.
