Don’t lecture on how to treat minorities: Mohammad Kaif tells Imran Khan

Former Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif has an answer to Pakistan’s prime minister Imran Khan’s bouncer that he would show the Narendra Modi government “how to treat minorities”. Khan, the former Pakistan cricket captain, had made the comments on Saturday amid a controversy over Bollywood actor Naseeruddin Shah’s remarks on mob violence in India.

Former Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif has an answer to Pakistan’s prime minister Imran Khan’s bouncer that he would show the Narendra Modi government “how to treat minorities”.

Indian Cricketer Mohammad Kaif (Sarang Gupta/Hindustan Times)

Khan, the former Pakistan cricket captain, had made the comments on Saturday amid a controversy over Bollywood actor Naseeruddin Shah’s remarks on mob violence in India.

And again on Tuesday, Khan tried to compare the treatment of minorities in Pakistan and India, saying these communities would be treated as equal citizens in “Naya Pakistan”, “unlike what is happening in India”.

“There were around 20 per cent minorities at the time of partition in Pakistan, now less than 2 per cent. On the other hand, the minority population has grown significantly in India since Independence. Pakistan is the last country that should be lecturing any country on how to treat minorities,” Kaif tweeted on Tuesday.

The 38-year-old Indian batsman’s tweet has been liked by nearly 43,000 people and retweeted 16,142 times till now.

“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,” Naseeruddin Shah told the Sunday Express.

All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) president Asaduddin Owaisi also hit out at the Pakistan prime minister. Owaisi asked Khan to borrow some leaves of wisdom from India, specifically about “inclusive politics and minority rights.”

“According to the Pakistani Constitution, only a Muslim is qualified to be President. India has seen multiple Presidents from oppressed communities. It is high time Khan Sahab learns something from us about inclusive politics and minority rights,” Owaisi had tweeted on Sunday.