Javed Akhtar slams Zardari over ‘tolerate Hindus’ remark

Lyricist Javed Akhtar has attacked Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari for saying Muslims in Pakistan “tolerate” the country’s Hindu population. Akhtar called Zardari “insensitive to all under the sun which is less than 10 per cent”, in a post on X.

Zardari made the comment during Pakistan’s Independence Day celebrations, comparing Hindus in Pakistan and India. “We tolerate 3-4 per cent Hindu population in Pakistan. They are as free, as good as anywhere else they were,” he said, according to a CNN-News18 clip.

Akhtar’s dig referred to Zardari’s nickname “Mr Ten Per Cent”, which dates to the 1990s over allegations he demanded a 10 per cent commission on government projects. Zardari has denied the allegations. India TV News and The Times of India both reported the exchange.