New Delhi: Not Mumbai police, it’s Pakistan politician and former minister Fawad Chaudhry who has cracked the case of the attack on Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan. He has blamed the rise in Islamophobia within the country and said that “Pakistan must rise for the rights of Indian Muslims.” Pakistanis are amused and want him to focus on the issues within his own country.
The former information and broadcasting minister thinks that ‘Muslim actors face life threats in India’.
Pakistanis remain unconvinced.
“Pakistan must rise for the rights of Indian Muslims. What a joke to say this! Pakistan itself has snatched the rights of Pakistani people. But is [it] should rise for the rights of Indian Muslims,” Mohsin Meer wrote on X.
Some pointed out the obvious, but Chaudhry remained undeterred.
“What about happening in Pakistan, we should fix ourselves first, which fight we are doing for rule and law in the country,” X user Muneeb ul Haq responded to Chaudhry’s post.
Chaudhry replied: “The struggle for rights must be universal. Yes, we have our own issues in Pakistan to address, but this doesn’t mean we shouldn’t advocate for the people of Gaza, Kashmir, Indian minorities, and other marginalized groups. My motto is #NoToExtremism, everywhere and in any form.”
When Indian X user Shalabh Kapoor retorted with “You should help #SaifAliKhan migrate to #Pakistan by sending him free air tickets & citizenship”, Chaudhry was quick to point out that India was Khan’s home country.
Meanwhile, Humaira Nadeem took to Instagram to remind Chaudhry of his own actions.
“Apny mulk mai namazi ko container se neechy penk dety hain (In their own country they throw supplicating men from containers),” referring to the widespread condemnation of a supplicating man being thrown from the containers in Islamabad during PTI protests in November last year.
However, the comment was perhaps misplaced—Chaudhry is a member of PTI.
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No love lost for India
This is not the first time the former minister has criticised India’s ruling government.
His X post appreciating Rahul Gandhi last year in May became a major flashpoint between the two national parties. In 2023, he courted controversy for mocking India’s Chandrayaan mission.
Amid the uproar, X user Sandhu Sahib decided to give Chaudhry a reality check: “Mindblowing, I am also a Pakistani and will never ever dare to speak in these terms given the state of affairs at home.”
(Edited by Prasanna Bachchhav)