Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Spokesperson Naeemul Haque on Wednesday apologised to the prime minister's former adviser on foreign affairs, Tariq Fatemi, for an earlier tweet in which the former insinuated that Fatemi had not really been removed from his post.

Tariq Fatemi's portfolio as the PM's adviser on foreign affairs had been withdrawn in the wake of an inquiry into a story published by Dawn last year. It is as yet not clear what the charge against him had been in connection with the affair.

Talking to reporters in Islamabad, Haque, who is PTI Chairman Imran Khan's chief of staff, said his tweet was based on wrong information.

He apologised to the former adviser, taking note that that Fatemi is a "very senior diplomat".

Haque had tweeted a picture on Tuesday, saying: "Nawaz continues to deceive the nation. Tariq Fatemi accompanying him in China. So his being relieved of his duties was a lie. What a farce."

The PTI leader acknowledged that fellow lawmaker Shireen Mazari had also tweeted on the matter, and that, "Shah Mehmood Qureshi even raised the issue on the floor of the National Assembly."

Haque told reporters, with a smile on his face, that they were collectively misinformed.

The picture they had been outraged about had, in fact, been taken in the past.

The tweets were subsequently deleted from the PTI leaders' accounts.