Dubai: On the occasion of Pakistan founder Mohammad Ali Jinnah’s birth anniversary, December 25, Prime Minister Imran Khan has a message for the citizens — equality.
On his official twitter account, @ImranKhanPTI, he highlighted how Jinnah, or Quaid-e-Azam, conceived Pakistan to be a “democratic, just and compassionate nation”, with a focus on treating minorities as equal citizens.
Khan tweeted: “Quaid envisaged Pakistan as a democratic, just and compassionate nation. Most importantly he wanted our minorities to be equal citizens. It should be remembered that his early political career was as an ambassador for Hindu-Muslim unity.”
Within one hour, his tweet had garnered around 2,000 retweets each, with his followers instantly reacting and standing by his words.
Tweep @Write2Niaz wrote: “Absolutely, we want Naya Pakistan without any racism. Need equal opportunity, justice and prosperity.”
@azizmughal03 tweeted: “No one can deny the fact that creation of Pakistan was not possible without the wisdom of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, that’s why he’s Quaid-e-Azam. #QuaideAzam”
Tweep @masood_74 added: “No democracy can long survive which does not accept as fundamental to its very existence the recognition of the rights of minorities.”
However, within a few minutes of this tweet, he posted another one claiming that his ‘Naya Pakistan’ will treat minorities equally, unlike what India is doing.
He tweeted: “His struggle for a separate nation for Muslims only started when he realised that Muslims would not be treated as equal citizens by the Hindu majority. Naya Pakistan is Quaid’s Pakistan and we will ensure that our minorities are treated as equal citizens, unlike what is happening in India.”
He received some flak for his statement on minorities in India, especially since he had made a similar statement in a recent speech.
Tweep @_Faysal wrote: “Imran Khan’s tweets would make one believe that he’s running in India’s elections, too.”
@SyedIbr47171189 tweeted: “Muslims in India are very safe. @ImranKhanPTI you should look at yourself first, and worry about others later.”
Tweep @imhetal20 asked: “Tell us honestly, are minorities safer in Pakistan than in India? If you are really treating them equal, why is it that the percentage of minorities has drastically come down in Pakistan unlike India?”
@FibonacciNature added: “Don’t preach the change — be the change.”
