‘Imported' Pak Govt Should Sever Ties With India: Former PM Imran Khan

Khan demanded that the "imported" government take a harsh position and asked the populace to boycott Indian products

Former PM and PTI Chief Imran Khan 

(Photo: Altered by The Quint) 

Former Pakistan Prime Minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan on Wednesday, 8 June, condemned the controversial remarks made by suspended and expelled BJP leaders Nupur Sharma and Naveen Kumar Jindal against Prophet Muhammed and asked the Shehbaz Sharif government to sever all ties with India.

"The government should sever ties with India," he said. "Indian products should be boycotted."

Addressing a lawyers’ convention in Islamabad on Tuesday, the ousted prime minister demanded that the “imported” government take a harsh position on the issue.

Earlier on Monday, Khan criticised the Narendra Modi government in India for its alleged anti-muslim policies, following derogatory remarks on Prophet Muhammed made by BJP national spokesperson Nupur Sharma.

He further accused the Indian government of a deliberate policy of provocation and hatred towards Muslims in India, “including inciting violence against them.”

He added the Pakistan government should follow in the footsteps of Arab countries who took a strong position against the Modi government.

Khan, lamenting that New Delhi has been allowed to get away with their “islamophobic policies,” urged the Organisation of Islamic Corporation (OIC), of which Pakistan is a member, to strongly take action against India.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday condemned the "hurtful" remarks against the prophet of Islam.

Prophet Remarks Row: Background

Nupur Sharma made controversial remarks against Prophet Muhammad on prime-time TV in 26 May. Following her comments, she put out a tweet saying that she had been receiving "continuous death and beheading threats."

Sharma was booked under sections 295A (acts intended to outrage religious feelings), 153A (promoting enmity between different groups), and 505B IPC (inducing to commit an offence against the State or against the public tranquility) after a complaint was filed by Raza Academy, an organisation of Indian Sunni Muslims.

The BJP on 5 June suspended Sharma and expelled Naveen Jindal, head of the Delhi BJP’s media unit, from the party's primary membership for their derogatory comments.

Sixteen nations, as well as the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) which consists of 56 member states, have censured the BJP over the controversial remarks made by Sharma and Jindal against Prophet Muhammad.

The list of countries that have censured the ruling government includes Kuwait, Iran, Iraq, Qatar, Indonesia, UAE, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, Libya, Taliban in Afghanistan, Jordan, Turkey, and the Maldives.

(With inputs from PTI)