PTI slams Fayyaz ul Hassan Chohan for anti-Hindu remarks

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government "will not tolerate this nonsense", party leader Naeemul Haque said Monday night in response to the deprecatory remarks made by Punjab Information Minister Fayyaz ul Hassan Chohan against Pakistan's Hindu community.

"The derogatory and insulting remarks against the Hindu community by Fayyaz Chohan the Punjab Info Minister demand strict action. PTI govt will not tolerate this nonsense from a senior member of the govt or from anyone. Action will be taken after consulting the Chief Minister," Haque, who is special assistant to Prime Minister Imran Khan, tweeted. 

The PTI leader's announcement was followed by condemnation from Shireen Mazari and Asad Umar, the federal ministers of human rights and finance, respectively.

"Absolutely condemn this. No one has the right to attack anyone else's religion. Our Hindu citizens have given sacrifices for their country," Mazari tweeted.

"Our PM's msg is always of tolerance & respect & we cannot condone any form of bigotry or spread of religious hatred," she added.

"Hindus of Pakistan are as much a part of the fabric of the nation as I am. Remember the flag of Pakistan is not just green....its not complete without the white which represents the minorities," Umar wrote on Twitter.

"Quaid-e-Azam's whole struggle was for a country free of discrimination," he added.

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development Zulfi Bukhari also criticised Chohan and said, "Appalling and embarrassing stance against minorities that may reflect a personal opinion but certainly has nothing to do with what PM @ImranKhanPTI stands for or the spirit behind PTI. All faiths in Pakistan ARE and WILL ALWAYS be equal, that must be the essence of our belief."

Not only did top government officials call out Chohan's bigotry but celebrities also chimed in.

'Action not just condemnation'

"Action not just condemnation," actor Mahira Khan wrote.

"Always a good time to set an example, but now may be the best time," she added.

Nadia Jamil addressed Mazari, the human rights minister in her Twitter post, saying: "Dear @ShireenMazari1 please do take heed of the awful way Fayaz Chohan dose to speak about a religion that belongs to many Pakistanis also.

"Many of us have found his words racist, dangerous, as they can incite violence against Hindu Pakistanis, & very offensive. Plz do stop him," she added.