After predicting war, Pakistan minister warns India: ‘we have 125-250 g bombs’
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After predicting war, Pakistan minister warns India: ‘we have 125-250 g bombs’

Sheikh Rashid has been viral on social media with his loose talk on India, especially his prediction about a war later this year.

Ekta Handa    
Sheikh Rashid

Pakistan Railways Minister Sheikh Rashid | Twitter | @ShkhRasheed

New Delhi: Pakistan’s Railway Minister Sheikh Rashid has become a constant butt of social media jokes since the Narendra Modi government’s decision to abrogate Article 370 triggered fresh tensions between New Delhi and Islamabad.

After getting trolled last week when predicted a war between India and Pakistan soon, the minister gave Twitter more fodder for jokes as he said India should know Pakistan has  “smart bombs” — some that weigh as light as “125-250 g”.

The minister first grabbed the media’s attention last week when he warned of a war between the two countries. Rashid even mentioned when the war might take place: “I can foresee a war between Pakistan and India in November or December.”

Kashmir, according to him, was a way for Modi to further “venture into Pakistan and then Afghanistan”.

The same week, as Rashid was addressing a rally in Pakistan, he received a jolt from the mic he was holding. The video subsequently went viral, and shows the minister exclaiming, “Mera khyaal hai current aa gaya hai, yeh Modi iss jalse ko nakaam nahi kar skta (I think I have got an electric shock. Anyway, Modi can’t ruin this gathering)”

A day later, unfazed by the trolling he was subjected to, Rashid told the media about “smart bombs” owned by Pakistan.

“It’s not like we (Pakistan) are not ready, we are fully prepared. And the army has deputed me to inform the world about our preparations,” he said, talking about a possible war with India. “I can very responsibly state that we have smart bombs.”

Rashid also slammed the Modi government for the National Register of Citizens, which was published Sunday and appeared to have left 19 lakh people stateless. He said the Modi government had reduced the Muslims in India to second-grade citizens.

In another video clip doing the rounds on social media, Rashid seeks to warn India about Pakistan’s weapons arsenal — by citing bombs that are purportedly feather weight.

“Hindustan yeh yaad rakhe ki hamare paas pao, aadha pao, ka bhi bomb hai (India should remember we have bombs of 125-250 g as well),” he said Sunday.

Also read: Pakistan marks #KashmirHour — with sirens, slogans and ‘empty’ Lahore streets

‘I am the voice of Indian Muslims’

Rashid is a leader of the Awami Muslim League, an ally of Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). This is not the first time the Pakistani minister has been seen making loose comments. After the Pulwama attack in February this year, the minister had warned India against looking at Pakistan “with an evil eye”.

He also claims to be the voice of Indian Muslims. In an interview to a Pakistani news channel, Rashid is seen saying he will destroy the world’s “semi-power”.

“Sirf Srinagar ke Lal Chowk nahi, par UP aur CP ke musalmaan bhi Sheikh Rashid ki baat ko sunte hain. Aur mai tamam India ke musalmaano ke dil ki awaaz hun (Not only Muslims in Kashmir, but Muslims in UP and CP also listen to Sheikh Rashid, and I am the voice of India’s Muslims),” he is heard saying in a Twitter post shared earlier this month.

Also read: Pakistan foreign minister says war not an option to deal with Kashmir issue