Federal minister Tariq Bashir Cheema denies using political influence for COVID jab

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Housing and Works Tariq Bashir Cheema denied using political influence to get the coronavirus jab, after videos of him went viral on social media a day earlier.

A video showed the minister receiving the jab and what appears to be his family as well, at their residence by a medical team.

The video went viral on social media, with many claiming Cheema was able to get the vaccine using his political influence.

Family of Federal Minister Tariq Basheer Cheema getting vaccinated out of turn and at their homes. Will ⁦@Asad_Umar⁩ take notice? Are the rest of Pakistanis children of a lesser god? pic.twitter.com/lEnWmPkLdd

— Adeel Raja (@adeelraja) March 29, 2021

However, the minister denied the reports.

He said a University of Health Sciences (UHS) medical team had arrived at his residence to administer a booster of the trial vaccine. The minister said it was the same team that had earlier arrived at his residence to administer the first dose of the trial vaccine.

Action must be taken against all. Those getting the vaccine out of turn and those providing it. If it’s out of Govt stocks.

As the Minister is claiming that it was trial vaccine pic.twitter.com/SinwM3rjdn

— Azhar Mashwani (@MashwaniAzhar) March 29, 2021