LAHORE – Punjab’s Information Minister Fiazul Hasan Chohan resigned from his post on Tuesday, a day after his derogatory comments against the Hindu community in Pakistan triggered widespread outrage on major social media platforms across the country.
Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar accepted Chohan’s resignation, but not before he had tendered an apology over the incident. “I was addressing Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Indian armed forces and their media not the Hindu community in Pakistan. I apologize if my remarks hurt the Hindu community in Pakistan,” he said.
In an oblique reference to the tradition of “drinking cow urine”, Chohan had said that a community which indulged in such practices did not have the guts to fight against their Pakistani counterparts — a veiled reference in response to Indian rhetoric in the aftermath of the Pulwama attack.
His comments led to countrywide criticism of the government as politicians, rights activists, and members of the Hindu community living in Pakistan strongly condemned his statement. The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), which is the ruling party in the Center and in the Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces — also took cognizance of the matter.
Senior party leader Naeemul Haq, the spokesperson of premier Imran Khan, denounced Chohan’s words and said that the PTI government “will not tolerate this nonsense“
“The derogatory and insulting remarks against the Hindu community by Fiazul Hasan Chohan, the Punjab Information Minister demands strict action. PTI government will not tolerate this nonsense from a senior member of the government or from anyone. Action will be taken after consulting with the Chief Minister,” Naeemul Haque posted in a tweet on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Human Rights Minister Shireen Mazari, Finance Minister Asad Umar and several others strongly condemned the statement, too.
“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 before adding that “our PM’s msg is always of tolerance & respect & we cannot condone any form of bigotry or spread of religious hatred.”
On Tuesday, Punjab CM Buzdar summoned Chohan at the Chief Minister Secretariat to express his displeasure over the incident.
“In the meeting, Punjab Minister for Information decided to resign from the portfolio that was accepted by the Chief Minister,” Shahbaz Gill, the official spokesperson of the Punjab Chief Minister, said in a video message sent to the media.
“The Punjab Chief Minister denounces the statement of Fiazul Hasan Chohan. The Hindu and the followers of other faiths are equally patriotic and have the same rights as the Muslim have,” the spokesperson said. “The Chief Minister tenders an unconditional apology to all those who felt hurt from this statement,” he added.
Meanwhile, Foreign Office spokesperson, Dr. Mohammad Faisal, also tweeted support for the community when he wrote: “Pakistan proudly owns the white in the flag as much as the green, values contributions of the Hindu community and honors them as our own.”