Videos doing the rounds on social media show a group of men surrounding and hurling abuses at federal ministers who are part of the delegation visiting Saudi Arabia for umrah along with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Federal Minister Shahzain Bugti is seen trying to prevent the crowd from physically attacking the delegates.
Saudi Arabia has arrested at least five people behind the incident, and sources say more arrests will likely take place.
Meanwhile, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders have been celebrating the incident on social media and condoning the rowdy behaviour displayed by the mob.
Former human rights minister Shireen Mazari tweeted a video showing how the ministers were harassed and verbally abused at Masjid-e-Nabvi and went on to condone it by calling the new government 'imported' and product of a US 'conspiracy' for regime change. In the clip that she shared, one of the men in the crowd could be heard hurling vile abuse at Minister for Information Marriyum Aurangzeb, as she entered the mosque along with her colleagues. Many criticised the PTI leader for sharing the clip, after which she deleted it, but re-posted the same tweet without the video.
https://twitter.com/ShireenMazari1/status/1519772542474543106?s=20&t=8er_lWUBS4LLgaOuFOFx8Q
Other PTI leaders including former information minister Fawad Chaudhry and Imran Khan's chief of staff Shahbaz Gill have also been posting tweets in which they are cheering the crowd on, while terming the government 'imported'.
Twitterati laud Marriyum Aurangzeb's composure
Social media users have praised Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb for her dignified handling of the crowd, as the video clip showed her greeting the individual who hurled abuse at her. In a video later posted on social media, the minister said that members of the delegation did not retaliate because they did not want to create chaos in Medina where they have come to perform umrah.
https://twitter.com/nighatdad/status/1519771378781667329?s=20&t=mFmj55d47x494DgfvmiM7w