‘We tolerate Hindus’: Javed Akhtar slams Pakistan President Zardari over remark

Veteran screenwriter Javed Akhtar has hit out at Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari over his remarks about the country’s Hindu minority, calling the comments “insensitive” and questioning the President’s approach towards minorities.

Taking to X, on Saturday, Akhtar criticised Zardari after a video of the Pakistani President’s remarks began circulating on social media.

“Mr. Zardari of Pakistan who had come into the limelight after Benazeer Bhutto had married says that they tolerate the 3-4 percent Hindu population in their country. I understand Mr Zardari you have always been insensitive to all under the sun which is less than 10% (sic),” Akhtar wrote.

What did Asif Ali Zardari say about Hindus in Pakistan?

Zardari’s comments came during an address on the occasion of Pakistan’s Independence Day, where he spoke about the country’s Hindu minority.

In a clip circulating on social media, Zardari said Pakistan and its Muslim population “tolerate” the 3–4% Hindu population in the country. He also contrasted Pakistan’s position with what he described as India’s belief in “Akhand Bharat”.

“The Indians have a different point of view. They have their own agenda in mind. They believe in Akhand Bharat. But there is a lot in between which they have forgotten,” Zardari said.

“We are Muslims. They are not. But we are Muslims of the mindset that we tolerate 3-4% Hindu population in Pakistan. They are as free, as good as anywhere else they were. They would rather be with us than be with them (India),” he added.

Javed Akhtar has previously criticised Pakistan

Akhtar has frequently been critical of Pakistan and its policies.

In May last year, while attending a book launch with his wife and actor Shabana Azmi in Mumbai’s Andheri West, the veteran screenwriter spoke about India-Pakistan relations and argued that India had made efforts to improve ties between the two countries.

“India has always made genuine efforts to better the relationship with Pakistan. We opened cultural channels with Pakistan and its artists. But you can't clap with one hand, Pakistan never made any solid efforts to make things better,” he said at the event.

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Akhtar also spoke about the Kashmir dispute and maintained that India had not been the aggressor despite its claim over the region.

“There is such a big dispute in Kashmir. In spite of our claim, we have never been aggressive. In fact, many people complain, 'why are you not aggressive?' We are not that. So the aggression has always been from that side. So this is not right,” he added.

India-Pakistan tensions

One of the examples cited in the context of Pakistan’s aggression against India is Operation Gibraltar, a Pakistan Army operation planned and executed in Jammu and Kashmir in August 1965.

The operation involved plans to covertly cross the Line of Control and incite an uprising among the Muslim-majority Kashmiri population against the Indian government.

With IANS inputs