India TV Editor-in-Chief Rajat Sharma
Reacting to a Jodhpur court sentencing film star Salman Khan to 5 years jail on charge of poaching, Pakistan's Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif told a local news channel that Salman was convicted because he belonged to the minority community. Khawaja Asif went on to say that " if Salman Khan had belonged to the religion of the ruling party of India he would not have been sentenced and the court might have been lenient with him." For good measure, Asif also alleged that " (this) shows that lives of Muslims, 'untouchables' or Christians are not valued in India."
One should not commit the blunder of describing Khawaja Asif's remarks as merely foolish. It is part of a well-planned conspiracy: to sow seeds of hate among Hindus, Muslims and other communities in India. This is part of a move to instigate minorities by spreading rumours and lies among them.
Khawaja Asif is an experienced Pakistani politician. He must surely be knowing that there were co-accused like Saif Ali Khan and Tabu in this poaching case. Both these film actors are Muslims, and the same court which convicted Salman Khan, also acquitted these two Muslim actors. Also, in three other cases of poaching, the courts in India had acquitted Salman Khan, and Khawaja Asif knows this fact pretty well. But Asif's real motive was to sow seeds of hate among communities in India, and that is why the Pakistani foreign minister made such remarks.
Khawaja Asif should know that the people of India are sagacious and mature enough to understand the motive behind such atrocious remarks. Minority communities in India are not going to fall in such a trap. They do not need lectures on secularism from politicians from a theocratic state like Pakistan.
Watch the full episode here:
Aaj Ki Baat: Monday to Friday, 9 PM
India’s Number One and the most followed Super Prime Time News Show ‘Aaj Ki Baat – Rajat Sharma Ke Saath’ was launched just before the 2014 General Elections. Since its inception the show is redefining India’s super prime time and is numerically far ahead of its contemporaries.
