By Aarti Tikoo Singh

New Delhi/Islamabad, May 7 (IANS): Prime Minister Imran Khan has made a gaffe claiming that the COVID-19 curve has been flattening in Pakistan. The faux pas happened because he was reading the chart upside down.

The Pakistani media reported that Khan addressing a press conference announced on Wednesday, "We've finally managed to flatten the curve so that the public health setup could handle the crisis adequately, proving that our strategy of a smart lockdown has actually worked."

Holding a chart of the coronavirus cases in the country, Khan said, "See, it's right there. The cases seem to be tapering to a flat line."

However, a political aide Saleem Kheshgi, noticing that the Prime Minister had goofed up, quickly whispered something into his ear. Khan's mood changed quickly, Pakistan Today reported.

Thereafter, Khan was heard mumbling and fumbling for a while. "Oh...I'm sorry, I'd thought..This doesn't seem to be...I don't think...well, if...I mean that's one way of looking at it but there's also another way of looking at it, if you...no, I mean," he muttered.

The press conference ended hurriedly, the media reported adding that Saleem Kheshgi has been removed from his position in the party amidst rumours of corruption.

Imran Khan is known for such slips and has often been a subject of jokes on social media. Once while addressing a joint press conference with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in Tehran, Khan said that Germany and Japan shared a common border. The Twitter had a field day over it.