Islamabad: Fayyazul Hassan Chohan, Information and Culture Minister in Punjab, on Tuesday has been sacked from his post following derogatory remarks against Hindus he made while addressing an event in Lahore.
Announcing Chohan's removal as minister, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), in a tweet, said that "bashing someone’s faith should not be a part of any narrative."
"PTI Punjab government has removed Fayyaz Chohan from the post of Punjab Information Minister following derogatory remarks about the Hindu community. Bashing someone’s faith should not b a part of any narrative.Tolerance is the first & foremost pillar on which #Pakistan was built", the party headed by Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan said.
According to Dawn, Fayyazul Hassan Chohan was addressing the event in Lahore on February 24 when responding to "India's rhetoric in the aftermath of the Pulwama bombing, conflated Indians with Hindus" and used disparaging words for the religious community.
As a video clip of the derisive remarks went viral on Monday, Twitterati on Tuesday using the hashtag '#SackFayazChohan' asked the government to take action against Chohan and remove him from his post.
"No one has the right to attack anyone else's religion. Our Hindu citizens have given sacrifices for their country," Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari wrote, reiterating Prime Minister Imran Khan's message of tolerance and respect.
"We cannot condone any form of bigotry or spread of religious hatred", she added.
Earlier in the day, Chohan had apologised for his comments.
"I apologise if my remarks hurt the Hindu community in Pakistan. My remarks were in no way directed at Pakistan's Hindu community", Geo.tv quoted him as saying.
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