Outrage in PaK over Punjab minister’s ‘scornful’ Kashmir remarks

Federal minister for Kashmir affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan, Ali Amin Khan Gandapur on Monday condemned the remarks of a provincial minister from Punjab, assuring that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) would also take action on it. 

Talking to reporters a few days back in Lahore, Punjab information minister FayazulHasanChohan triggered widespread outrage among Kashmiris settled on both sides of the Line of Control and elsewhere in the world as he repeatedly used word Kashmiri with the names of Sharif family members in a scornful way. 

   

The video clip of the press talk had gone viral on social networking sites, mostly with tempestuous comments against the minister for the “racial slur.” 

There were many polite messages as well, informing Pakistani leadership as to how the inane comment had gone with the Kashmiris.

“We’re Kashmiris and are proud to be so. Let this message go to Lahore and let this Fayaz-ul-HasanChohan know it. You only hurt us. Let your domestic politics and political rivalries stay in their own limit,” wrote Srinagar’s ace journalist Yusuf Jameel in one of the several tweets on the issue. 

On Monday, when Gandapur was in the Pakistan-administered Kashmir capital to launch the Naya Pakistan Housing Project, he was intercepted by some political activists to convey their unhappiness over the way Chohan had tried to portray Kashmiris. 

“I condemn and want to make it clear to all Kashmiri people that whatever Fayaz-ul-HasanChohan has said is in his personal capacity…it has nothing to do with our party policy,” he said.

“We will serve notice on him and party will take action on it as well,” he added. 

He said he would also talk to Prime Minister Imran Khan that whether he (Chohan) should have talked like this or not. 

“He is [the] spokesperson of the Punjab government and previously he had also made some such remarks that impelled him to tender apology,” he said.

Gandapur was referring to the allegedly lewd comments made by Chohan about film and stage actresses Nargis and Megha at a public forum on August 30. 

Following backlash against him on social and electronic media, Chohan released his two video messages tendering apology to both actresses. 

“He [Chohan] will have to mend his ways. As far as Kashmiri people are concerned we are with them,” Gandapur said. 

He maintained that Prime Minister Khan’s first speech and Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi’s address in the UN reflected PTI government’s commitment to and seriousness about Kashmir. 

Inclusion of Kashmir in Naya Pakistan Project and in “10 Billion Tree Tsunami Campaign” was an ample proof of it, he said.

He assured that all projects aimed at development and progress of AJK would be considered on priority basis and federal government would do everything for the welfare of Kashmiri people. 

On Sunday, ZartajGulWazir, federal minister of state for climate change, also expressed regrets when her attention was drawn by some reporters, outside the National Press Club [Islamabad], towards the way Chohan had “offended the Kashmiris.”  “Kashmiris are our brothers. They are close to our hearts. If anyone has been tormented [by the remark] I beg apology for that,” she had said, adding: “If you think that we should officially issue any statement on it, I will talk to the party about it.”

She said Chohan had also committed a “slip of tongue” by passing some remarks about some actresses and he had tendered apology afterwards.  “Tendering apology does not demean you, but it raises your respect. Although I have not made these remarks, yet I beg forgiveness, because we are incomplete without Kashmir and Kashmiris.”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

nineteen − 4 =