Last Updated:
Following the backlash, Pakistani finance minister Ishaq Dar confirmed that Shehbaz Sharif directed a probe into the post.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ordered an investigation into a controversial social media post by Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) for its resemblance to the 2001 World Trade Centre attacks in New York. The ad- posted by PIA on its official X (formerly Twitter) account- was published to mark the resumption of flights to Paris after a four-year hiatus.
In the post, an image of an aircraft heading towards the Eiffel Tower with a backdrop of the French flag can be seen with the caption “Paris, we’re coming today.” Social media users found a similarity in the image to 9/11 when hijacked planes were used in terrorist attacks on US landmarks.
Following the backlash, Pakistani finance minister Ishaq Dar confirmed that Shehbaz Sharif directed a probe into the post. He said, “The Prime Minister has directed [authorities] to investigate who conceived this ad. It is stupidity.”
PIA’s first flight to Paris in four years landed successfully at Charles de Gaulle Airport on January 10. The airline remains barred from operating in the United States and the United Kingdom.