He saved his country money: Omar Abdullah backs Imran Khan's austerity drive
Khan took a commercial flight to save expenses, was received by his Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi at Dulles International Airport.
New Delhi: As Twitterati took aim at Imran Khan, who was reportedly not received by any official upon his arrival in the United States, National Conference leader Omar Abdullah on Sunday threw his weight behind the Prime Minister, saying he saved Pakistan's money.
Quoting a tweet by Pakistan-based journalist Fawad Rehman, who posted the video of Khan's arrival, Abdullah said that the reported absence of a state protocol to Khan "reflects badly" on the Donald Trump administration.
"He saved his country money it didn't need to spend AND didn't wear his ego on his sleeve like most "leaders" do. Remind me again why that's a bad thing. This reflects badly on the American establishment rather than on @ImranKhanPTI IMO," the former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister tweeted.
Khan is currently on a three-day visit to the US. The cricketer-turned-politician, who took a commercial flight instead of a private jet to cut down on expenses, was instead received by his Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and others at the Dulles International Airport.
A video shared by PTI showed Khan deboarding the commercial flight and later being received by Qureshi and Pakistan's ambassador to the US Asad M Khan. He also took the people mover for leaving the airport.
As Khan did not receive his due welcome, netizens used this opportunity to have a good laugh. "Pakistan didn't do very well in the World Cup, but this seems a harsh punishment," a Tweet said.
In a bid to cut costs with a struggling economy back home, Khan had earlier expressed his wish to stay at the ambassador's residence during his visit to the US capital.
Pakistani daily, The Dawn, had reported the news while adding that the US Secret Service, which is responsible for the security of all visiting dignitaries, is not "very receptive" towards the idea as it could pose security risks and cause inconvenience to the people. Local authorities, who are responsible for the smooth flow of Washington DC traffic during a foreign dignitary's visit, have not expressed their keenness either.
Khan is expected to discuss Afghanistan and peace in the South Asian region during his upcoming meeting with Trump on July 22.