ISLAMABAD: Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry has criticised Bollywood actors for advocating war on social media and “poking their nose” in “issues beyond their understanding”.
Taking to Twitter, Fawad quoted Bollywood actor Preity Zinta’s tweet regarding Pakistan’s release of captured Indian pilot Abhinandan Varthaman, and wrote, “Best thing Bollywood walas can do is stop poking nose in issues beyond their understanding.”
Best thing #Bollywood walas can do is stop poking nose in issues beyond their understanding,majority of them haven’t even finished their School, they lack ken of very basic issues. Wars are too serious a business to be discussed by jokers who became celebrities by stroke of luck https://t.co/ReRKLdLIC7
— Ch Fawad Hussain (@fawadchaudhry) March 1, 2019
“Majority of them haven’t even finished their school, they lack ken of very basic issues. Wars are too serious a business to be discussed by jokers who became celebrities by a stroke of luck,” he added.
As tensions escalated between India and Pakistan, several Bollywood celebrities had taken to their social media pages to laud the Indian Air Force and added to war hysteria.
On Friday, Pakistan sent IAF pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan back to his home country India via Wagah Border as a peace gesture.
Abhinandan was brought to the border crossing amid tight security underwent formalities, including the signing of necessary documents and a medical examination by the International Committee of Red Cross, ahead of his release. He was accompanied by Foreign Office India Director Dr Fariha Bugti.
His handover took several hours as a roster of procedures were completed including a medical checkup to verify his health and condition before being handed over to his countrymen.
INDO-PAK TENSIONS:
Tensions between Pakistan and India escalated dramatically on February 14 when a young Kashmiri rammed an explosives-laden car into an Indian paramilitary convoy, killing at least 44 soldiers. India was quick to blame Pakistan for the suicide bombing.
PM Imran offered every possible help in the investigation, but India turned down the offer and whipped up war hysteria.
On February 26, the Indian Air Force violated Pakistani airspace. The country’s top civil and military leadership declared the violation of airspace by Indian fighter jets “uncalled for aggression” and decided that the country would respond at a “time and place of its choosing”.
On February 27, Pakistan announced it had shot down two Indian fighter jets that attempted to violate its airspace and captured an Indian pilot. The military’s media wing later released a video of the pilot, who introduced himself as Wing Commander Abhinandan bearing service number 27981.
Pakistani military’s spokesman Major General Asif Ghafoor said in a press conference that the armed forces had responsibly retaliated to Indian incursion by striking a target few miles from an Indian military’s administrative unit to ensure there were no human life or collateral damage.
“We decided to not hit a military target or endanger human life. We did not want to retaliate at the cost of regional peace. We do not want escalation,” he told reporters.
A few hours later, Prime Minister Imran Khan took the nation into confidence over the armed forces’ response. As escalating tensions fuelled concerns of all-out war between nuclear-tipped Pakistan, Imran warned of catastrophic consequences should “better sense” not prevail.
The premier ended his speech with another peace talks offer and cooperation in Pulwama attack investigation to India.
A day earlier, the top political leadership of the country was given an in-camera briefing at the Parliament House.
Opposition parties expressed satisfaction over the briefing mainly conducted by Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Army Chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa and Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor.
An official handout issued by the National Assembly Secretariat said: “The forum unanimously expressed that they stand united against any aggression against Pakistan and will support the government and its institutions unconditionally.”
It said the participants also “expressed hope that those who want peace and stability will prevail as war is not an option but a failure of policy”.
