Pakistan Elections 2018: BBC Newsnight confuses Imran Khan with Wasim Akram, gets trolled

In a news segment of the BBC Newsnight, they confused Imran Khan with Wasim Akram and showed clips of Akram bowling to refer back to Khan's career in cricket. The gaffe quickly went viral with people trolling the channel online. They later apologised for their mistake.

• By: Trends Desk
• New Delhi | Updated: July 26, 2018 07:07 PM IST
4 min read

BBC Newsnight featured Wasim Akram instead of Imran Khan for their special coverage on Pakistan elections in which Khan was leading.

While Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan claimed victory in the general elections held on July 25, Pakistan, BBC yet again confused two famous personalities. A BBC news report on the elections inadvertently carried a clip of former Pakistan pacer and cricket team captain Wasim Akram instead of Khan, who also had played for Pakistan and won the World Cup in 1992.

ALSO READ | BBC News uses Amitabh Bachchan and Rishi Kapoor clips for Shashi Kapoor tribute; Twitterati not amused

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The gaffe was slammed by many, particularly Pakistanis, for the channel’s “ignorance”. By the time the channel realised their mistake and deleted the tweet, screenshots of the new segment flooded Twitter.

Among those watching it live, was Justice Secretary David Gauke, who shared a photo of his TV screen on Twitter and wrote, “#Newsnight seem to have got Wasim Akram and Imran Khan muddled up.” While many asked if to them “all brown people look the same”.

https://twitter.com/SannaWaseem/status/1022239015108575233
https://twitter.com/TheMJAP/status/1022238072245821442

https://twitter.com/RazaSaab/status/1022243751236919297
Later, they also issued an apology on Twitter for their mistake.

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