A tweet by British diplomat Christian Turner appears to have embarrassed Pakistan's former cricket captain Wasim Akram.
British High Commissioner to Pakistan, Christian Turner, took to Twitter this morning (7) to post a photograph of him carrying two big bags full of trash on his early morning walk.
"Another Friday morning walk, another two bags of litter. Safaai nisf imaan hai [cleanliness is half of faith]," he posted on Twitter with a picture of himself holding two bags full of garbage.
Turner’s tweet seemed to have triggered a series of debates about public hygiene in the country.
Cricketer Wasim Akram tweeted how shameful the situation was for locals who continue to dump garbage in the area, as well as for the administration, who have no infrastructure and system in place to clean it. He has been vocal about pollution and climate change and has taken part in beach cleaning activities with his wife Shaneira.
“Now this is really embarrassing. Where are we heading ? And thanks Mr Turner for doing this almost every week. #safaainisfimaan,” tweeted Akram on the issue.
Turner’s tweet also drew the attention of Islamabad deputy commissioner, Hamza Shafqaat, who praised Turner for the gesture. However, his comment was not taken kindly by netizens who criticised him for not being efficient enough. He later took to Twitter to clarify his statement.
“This comment is grossly misunderstood. I was just appreciating the efforts of @CTurnerFCDO to keep Islamabad clean. I would request everyone to not litter in forests. It is everyone's responsibility to keep their surroundings clean,” Shafqaat tweeted.
Social media was filled with comments about lack of public hygiene and individual responsibility.
