Elon Musk tweets Pakistan's most-famous meme to take jibe at US govt

Meme, featuring Sarim Akhtar, portrays look of disappointment on faces of weed users in US when they're jailed

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Web Desk
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The image collage shows famous Pakistani cricket fan Sarim Akhtar (L) and Tesla CEO Elon Musk. — Twitter/ AFP
The image collage shows famous Pakistani cricket fan Sarim Akhtar (L) and Tesla CEO Elon Musk. — Twitter/ AFP

The chief executive of Tesla Elon Musk on Sunday tweeted Pakistan's most-famous meme to take a jibe at the US government's policy on weed. 

The meme featured famous Pakistani cricket fan, Sarim Akhtar, whose disappointed look during Pakistan vs Australia ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 match had gone viral after Asif Ali dropped a catch. Later on, Sarim's picture had become fodder for meme-makers.

The tweet portrayed a look of disappointment on the faces of weed users in the US when they are thrown behind bars. 

"People in the US in jail for weed while the government trades a Russian war criminal to free a women's basketball player in jail for weed," the meme read.

Elon, in his tweet, wrote: "Maybe free some people in jail for weed here too?"

The meme was about US Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) star Brittney Griner, who was arrested at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport on February 17 after vape cartridges containing hashish oil were allegedly found in her baggage.

She is currently undergoing a trial in a Russian court.

A few days ago, the Biden administration had offered a deal to Russia to bring back Griner and another jailed American, former-US marine Paul Whelan. While the details of the deal are unclear, there are reports that  Russia has expressed interest in releasing the two Americans in exchange for Viktor Bout, a Russian arms dealer who is serving a 25-year sentence in a US jail, according to The Guardian.


— With additional input from Reuters.