Bilawal Bhutto controversy: Amid nationwide protests in India for his personal attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, on Saturday, said he had not coined the term "butchers of Gujarat" and added "it was the Indian citizens who gave him the title. Bhutto's critical remarks came nearly two days after he attacked PM Modi during a press conference on the sidelines of the United Nations Security Council meeting. "Osama bin Laden is dead, but the butcher of Gujarat lives and he is the Prime Minister of India,” Bhutto had said during a presser while replying to statements of EAM S Jaishankar.
During the presser, the Pakistani FM alleged that the then Chief Minister of Gujarat was involved in the communal riots that killed thousands of people in 2002. Although a court in Gujarat confirmed a committee set up by the Supreme Court did not find any evidence against Modi and 57 others, Bhutto claimed his alleged involvement in the riots claimed the lives of thousands. This resulted in massive protests in several parts of India including in Gujarat, Jammu and Kashmir, Delhi, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh and others.
My comments were based on history, says Bhutto
Meanwhile, replying to the massive protests against him, Bhutto claimed that the "Indian Muslims have been facing unrelenting discrimination and hatred" and they should protest against them. Further, he opined that his comments were based on history and added it was difficult to alter history according to one's likes and dislikes.
"My comments were based on history, and it is difficult to distort history. You cannot rewrite history to suit your likes and dislikes," Pakistani media Dawn quoted Bhutto as saying when asked about the BJP’s protests against him. "I did not coin the term Butcher of Gujarat, Indian citizens gave this title to him. So, no matter how much you protest, you cannot change facts," he added. He maintained that the Indian government has been promoting hatred against Muslims in India and added they should protest against the discrimination, "instead of targetting him".
India reacts to Bhutto's baseless claims
It is worth mentioning India, on several occasions, exposed Islamabad for spreading terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir and other regions of the world. During his speeches at the UN forum, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar highlighted how even the Pakistan intelligence agency, ISI, was involved in the brutal attack in Mumbai.
Like earlier, this time too, India responded sharply to the comments made by the Pakistani foreign minister and said, “These comments are a new low, even for Pakistan." "The Foreign Minister of Pakistan has obviously forgotten this day in 1971, which was a direct result of the genocide unleashed by Pakistani rulers against ethnic Bengalis and Hindus. Unfortunately, Pakistan does not seem to have changed much in the treatment of its minorities. It certainly lacks credentials to cast aspersions at India,” added the statement released by the Foreign Ministry.
