Islamabad, December 25 (Indian Express): Reiterating that people from minority communities face discrimination in India, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday said he will make sure that in his country minorities are treated as equal citizens “unlike what is happening in India”.
But this has drawn flak from actor Naseeruddin Shah and cricketer Mohammad Kaif. While Shah said that Imran would do well to restrict his attention to minorities in his own country, Kaif said that Muslims have been better off in India than Hindus in Pakistan.
“His struggle for a separate nation for Muslims only started when he realised that Muslims would not be treated as equal citizens by the Hindu majority. Naya Pak is Quaid’s Pak & we will ensure that our minorities are treated as equal citizens, unlike what is happening in India,” Khan added.
Actor Naseeruddin Shah, who had recently expressed his angst over the death of a cow being given importance over the killing of a policeman in India, advised Khan to look after his country before commenting on the issues in India. “I think Mr Khan should be walking the talk in his own country instead of commenting on issues that don’t concern him. We have been a democracy for 70 years and we know how to look after ourselves,” Shah had said.
Former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif also lashed out at Khan for his remarks over the treatment of minorities in the country. Kaif said Pakistan is the last country that should be lecturing any country on how to treat minorities.
“There were around 20% minorities at the time of Partition in Pakistan, less than 2% remain now. On the other hand, the minority population has grown significantly in India since Independence. Pakistan is the last country that should be lecturing any country on how to treat minorities,” tweeted Kaif.
(The featured image at the top shows Imran Khan attending a Diwali celebration as the leader of his party Pakistan Tehreek-e- Insaf)
