Pakistan’s ‘science and technology’ minister Fawad Hussain Chaudhry is a man with a very active imagination. He is rather popular among Indian social media users as he keeps falling for silly pranks and provides regular laughter doses on Twitter. Whenever things start becoming a little dull, Ch Fawad Hussain comes up with a brainwave and brings a lot of fun to social media, especially for Indians.
Today, Ch Fawad Hussain, who is a visual testimony that under Imran Khan’s government, there is no shortage of food in Pakistan (for some people), irrespective of the price of naan and lack of ‘timatars’, took a very profound step towards technological advancement in Pakistan. No, he did not invent a ‘timatar’ producing machine, he invited Tesla founder Elon Musk to come and “Make In Pakistan”.
Reading a news report about Tesla’s plan to build half a million electric vehicles a year in its future factory in Berlin, Fawad, being a responsible minister of Pakistani science and its technology, tweeted immediately tagging Elon Musk that he should come and “Make In Pakistan” instead. Fawad also claimed that Pakistan is the world’s third-largest exporter of freelance software.
Not just that, Chaudhry, displaying excellent marketing skills like the ’employee of the year’ salesman in local malls, made Musk ‘special offers’ like ‘Ten years zero tax facility’ and custom free import for factory set-up. He also made Musk aware that 68% of the world population lives within a 3.5-hour flight radius of Islamabad like it was brand new information that South Asia has the world’s most highly populated countries.
Twitter users were mighty amused.
Ye production karne wale Business karenge ???? pic.twitter.com/GHmutgcFpa
— BanTaa ShekhawaT?️ (@Tang__color) January 5, 2020
Maruti Afford Kar nahi Paa Rahe hai ?? Tesla Banainge ?
— The Name Is RK ?? (@AskAnything_RK) January 5, 2020
Since Fawad also claimed that Pakistan is the world’s third-largest exporter of freelance software, a Twitter user asked whether he means soft underwear.
Software exporters? I hope you are not talking about manufacturing of soft underwear? What software technologies has Pakistan patented in last decade? If you think media piracy and distribution is software export then you are truly Chu Fawad Hussain!
— Vin Var (@vineetavarshney) January 5, 2020
Not long ago, Fawad had claimed that he will make internet available in India’s Jammu and Kashmir via a satellite.
The science and technology minister has a very colourful personality and his old dance videos and rather ‘vivid’ tweets keep doing rounds on the internet. However, he has been extremely popular in India after he started falling for twitter pranks in the hopes of getting information on RAW, and Indian Army.
It is, however, notable here that Fawad Chaudhry’s obsession with Elon Musk is not new. In July last year, he had made big announcements that Pakistan will organise a global event on technology and innovation called ‘Think Future’. Fawad Chaudhry had declared that the massive event will be attended by bigwigs like Elon Musk, Bill Gates, Mark Zukerberg and, for some unfathomable connection to science and innovation, Malala Yusafzai.
Chaudhry’s announcement, like Kejriwal’s promises here, was covered by almost all news outlets in Pakistan, with big headlines and big images of the billionaires mentioned, heralding the idea of Imran’s Naya Pakistan. However, soon after the July announcement, India abrogated the article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir and Fawad got so busy with tweeting threats to PM Modi and Indian Army that he must have forgotten about Elon Musk and Bill Gates.
The said event was announced on October 17, on the birth anniversary of Dr Syed Ahmed Khan, but sadly, no global event happened, there was no sign of Musk, Zuckerberg, Gates or even Malala either. Instead, the Pakistan ministry of science and tech’s official handle is full of Fawad Chaudhry meeting the people of his constituency, an Australian diplomat, and the Danish ambassador on that day and the days next. Perhaps Elon Musk had other plans.
