Chohan claims 80% of Maryam Nawaz's Twitter following is 'fake'

Punjab information minister Fayyazul Hasan Chohan on Sunday alleged that 80% of Maryam Nawaz's Twitter followers are "fake".

"Begum Safdar Awan has surpassed everyone even in Twitter rigging," he said, referring to the PML-N leader's husband's name.

He said that while it is not surprising that hundreds of thousands of followers of her Twitter account are "fake", it is "astonishing that the number approaches 80%".

Chohan claimed that out of approximately 5.5 million total followers, 5.19 "have not liked a single tweet" by Maryam. He also claimed that 2.37 million followers are "dead" accounts.

Terming the PML-N leader a "Calibri queen" — after her Calibri font scandal — he said that 1,898 followers had created their Twitter accounts on the same day.

Casting further aspersions on her followers, he said that one million followers have no followers of their own.

"The Pakistani people are well aware of Calibri queen Begum Safdar Awan's clever schemes," said the minister.

He said that rigging and the Sharif clan "go hand in hand".

Responding to the claims, PML-N spokesperson in Punjab, Uzma Bukhari said that the people are crying over skyrocketing prices of wheat flour and sugar and all the minister can bother with is Maryam Nawaz's Twitter account.

She said that the PTI could not bear the "growing popularity of Maryam Nawaz".

"Pakistan's youth considers Maryam one of their favourite leaders," she said.

"Imran Niazi has inducted people into his cabinet who do nothing but bad mouth others and are being paid from the government's coffers for it," she added.