Naseeruddin Shah's comments: Owaisi rebukes Imran Khan, says don't need to learn about minority rights from Pak

Reacting, AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi reiterated that India didn’t need to learn about ‘inclusiveness’ from Pakistan. He wrote: “According to the Pakistani Constitution, only a Muslim is qualified to be President. India has seen multiple Presidents from oppressed communities. It's high time Khan sahab learns something from us about inclusive politics & minority rights.”

Khan on Saturday said that he will "show" the Narendra Modi government "how to treat minorities", amidst controversy over Shah's remarks on mob violence in India. 

Rebuking Khan, the Naseeruddin Shah told The Indian Express, “I think Mr Khan should be walking the talk in his own country instead of commenting on issues that don’t concern him. We have been a democracy for 70 years and we know how to look after ourselves.” Shah finds himself at the centre of a major controversy over his remarks on the spate of mob lynching cases in India following the killing of a policeman in Uttar Pradesh's Bulandshahr district earlier this month.

In a video interview with Karwan-e-Mohabbat India, the veteran actor said the death of a cow was being given importance over the killing of a policeman in India. 

He said the "poison has already spread" and it will be now difficult to contain it.

"It will be very difficult to capture this djinn back into the bottle again. There is complete impunity for those who take law into their own hands...I feel anxious for my children because tomorrow if a mob surrounds them and asks, 'Are you a Hindu or a Muslim?' they will have no answer. It worries me that I don't see the situation improving anytime soon," Shah added.

The BJP Sunday lashed out at Pakistan Prime Minster Imran Khan over his barb at India on treatment of minorities, terming his country "a land of atrocities against minorities" who have been "persecuted" there since its birth in 1947.
Minorities Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi used a Hindi proverb and described Khan's comments as a case of a cat going on a pilgrimage after eating 100 mice (Sau chuhe khake bill Haj ko chali).

In hard-hitting remarks against Pakistan, Naqvi said that number of minorities like Hindus, Sikhs and Christians have fallen by almost 90 per cent in that country since its birth in 1947 as they were hounded by Islamic fundamentalists in collusion with its government..

Unlike Pakistan, where minorities were killed, forced to convert or persecuted out of the country, in India they have grown and are an equal partner in development, Naqvi asserted. In the neighbouring country, minorities are barely two to three per cent of its population, he said.

Targeting Khan, Naqvi named a number of popular Indian artistes, including Yusuf Khan better known as Dilip Kumar, and Aamir Khan, Salman Khan and Shahrukh Khan, and noted that generations of Indians have admired them.

"Can Imran Khan name a single Pakistani artiste who has come from a minority community and been liked as much as these actors are in India," Naqvi said.

The Union minister also had a word of advice for veteran Indian actor Naseeruddin Shah, whose comments expressing concern over mob violence in the country were seized upon by Imran Khan to claim on Saturday that he will show the Indian government how to treat minorities.

"Naseeruddin Shah should also consider that such a sweeping statement that is also factually incorrect causes a lot of harm and is used by anti-India forces to target our country," Naqvi said.

Shah had cited the murder of a police inspector in Uttar Pradesh's Bulandshahr by a mob protesting alleged slaughter of cow to express his concern.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday said he will "show" the Narendra Modi government "how to treat minorities", amidst a controversy over Bollywood actor Naseeruddin Shah's remarks on mob violence in India.

Shah finds himself at the centre of a major controversy over his remarks on the spate of mob lynching cases in India following the killing of a policeman in Uttar Pradesh's Bulandshahr district earlier this month. Addressing an event to highlight the 100-day achievements of the Punjab government in Lahore, Khan asserted that his government is taking steps to ensure that religious minorities in Pakistan get their due rights, which was also a vision of the country's founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah.

Khan said his government will make it sure that the minorities feel safe, protected and have equal rights in 'New Pakistan'. "We will show the Modi government how to treat minorities...Even in India, people are saying that minorities are not being treated as equal citizens," he said referring to Shah's statement. In a video interview with Karwan-e-Mohabbat India, the veteran actor said the death of a cow was being given importance over killing of a policeman in India. He said the "poison has already spread" and it will be now difficult to contain it. "It will be very difficult to capture this djinn back into the bottle again. There is complete impunity for those who take law into their own hands...I feel anxious for my children because tomorrow if a mob surrounds them and asks, 'Are you a Hindu or a Muslim?' they will have no answer. It worries me that I don't see the situation improving anytime soon," Shah added. The Pakistani premier said if justice is not given to the weak then it will only lead to uprising. Giving an example, he said, "The people of East Pakistan were not given their rights which was the main reason behind the creation of Bangladesh." On December 3, Inspector Subodh Kumar Singh and a student, Sumit Kumar, were killed in mob violence in Bulandshahr after cow carcasses were found strewn around.

Bollywood actor Ashutosh Rana and film director Madhur Bhandarkar backed Naseeruddin Shah's recent comment on Bulandshahr violence.
Speaking on the ongoing controversy surrounding Shah's comment, Rana stated that everyone has a right to share their thoughts.

"Everyone should have a right to share their thoughts with their friends or other people without any fear. We should be wary of reacting, acting or doing a trial on any such comment. If any of our brother or friend is saying something, we should not only listen to them but must also ponder over it," Rana said while interacting with media.

"Independence stands for simplicity and gentleness and that is what our culture is," the actor further added.

Meanwhile, Madhur Bhandarkar also expressed his support for Shah saying that everyone has their own point of view. "Everyone has the right to speak. We live in a democratic country. I don't think there is any fear. Everyone is equal in India and this is his point of view, this is the special thing about our country that everyone can express their opinions. I don' think there is any problem or intolerance," he added.