'I was ill informed': Naseeruddin Shah apologises to 'Sindhi speaking population'

Indian actor Naseeruddin Shah tendered an apology to the "Sindhi speaking population" in Pakistan after he came under fire for making false claims about the language. 

Shah, who had claimed that Sindhi was not spoken in Pakistan anymore, apologised to the Sindhi-speaking population of Pakistan saying that he was "ill-informed". 

"OK OK I apologise to the entire Sindhi-speaking population of Pakistan who I seem to have deeply offended by my mistaken opinion. I admit I was ill informed but is it necessary to crucify me for that? “Let him who is free from…” as Jesus said," said the Indian actor. 

"Actually I’m quite enjoying being called ‘ignorant’ and ‘pretend intellectual’ after many years of being mistaken for an intelligent person. It’s quite a change!" he added. 

Recently, Shah found himself at the centre of a controversy following his claims that Sindhi was not spoken in Pakistan anymore. 

Speaking about his latest TV series Taj in a promotional interview, he claimed, “They [Pakistan] have Balochi, they have Bari, they have Siraiki and they have Pushto. Sindhi is, of course, no longer spoken in Pakistan."

His comments did not sit well with Pakistanis and for all the right reasons as it is one of the widely spoken languages in the country. 

They were angry at him for being ignorant of Sindhi including Pakistani actress Mansha Pasha. 

"As a proud Sindhi who speaks the language within her household, I beg to differ," wrote Pasha, who is the wife of well-known lawyer and rights activist Jibran Nasir. 

His comments drew ire from netizens who started commenting in Sindhi on the post, saying that Shah was being "ignorant".