PTI terms Salman Rushdie's remarks on Imran Khan as "childish"
The Information Secretary of PTI, Shafqat Mahmood on Monday issued a press statement deploring Rushdie’s remarks.
“The infamous writer Salman Rushdie has attacked Chairman Tehreek-i- Insaf Imran Khan in a speech he made in Delhi to a conference organised by the magazine India Today,” it read.
Mahmood continued to assert that “Rushdie has lost his marbles because for someone who believes that he has international stature to stoop to this level can only be described as comic.”
Explaining Khan’s withdrawal from the prestigious event, Mahmood said “through his controversial writings, Rushdie has hurt the feelings of Muslims all over the world. Refusing to share the stage with him was a reflection of Imran Khan’s disgust and indeed contempt for Rushdie.” He added that the decision to not attend the conclave was because the former cricketer did not want to dignify a person like Rushdie by being a co-participant with him in a conference.”
Mahmood also clarified a statement of Rushdie where he claimed Khan knew two months in advance of his participation, but chose to not attend only days before the event. “The fact of the matter is that the moment Khan found out – which was two days before the conference - that Rushdie would also be attending, he immediately informed the organisers that he would not participate. Despite repeated entreaties by India Today he refused to change his decision,” wrote Mahmood.
COMMENTS (37)
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@preacher of global liberty, equlity, fraternity: "i am against fundamentalism, feudalism, capitalism, imperialism and all forms of injustice,ignorance and oppression and support the cause of global liberty,equality and fraternity."------------me, too! ------- but Imran Khan is all for : Fundamentalism---him being himself one if you look at him behind the veil he is through and through Taliban Khan-------and he supports or depends on people like Shah Mehmood Qureishi et all who are very personification of Feudalism which makes him Feudal Khan.
@Tehreek-e-Insaf FATA: Because IK singled out Rushdie first. Its unfair of you to say Rushdie singled out IK when all he actually did was retaliate. Saying both of them are acting childish would be a more unbiased statement don't you think?
Imran the Playboy .....Imran never repented on this facade of his life . Hypocrisy at its best .lolzzzzzzzzzzz.........
i am against fundamentalism, feudalism, capitalism, imperialism and all forms of injustice,ignorance and oppression and support the cause of global liberty,equality and fraternity.
for these very reasons i hate salman Rushdie who is blind to the real problems of today's humanity and has tried to be infamously famous through insulting those who reside in the hearts and minds of more than a billion Muslims across the globe.
Rushdie had better speak against the political and economic structures controlled by the elite classes in countries like UK who are the source of exploitation that billions of marginalized people are suffering today. but i am sorry, he will never do so, seriously. why must he speak against his patrons. these patrons need detractors like salman Rushdie to keep the world blind to the real issues of humanity.i mean issues of poverty, wars, exploitation and capitalist plundering across the globe.
its a matter of days to end top level corruption ppl ........... 90 days is more than enough !!!
Wao Attitude Khaan ! u won our heart :)
Just 1 Rushdie has shaken the roots the of PTI. Relax guys!
No matter how you read Rushdie's comments, really childish. If he believes in freedom of expression, he needs to extend it to all, including freedom to join a gathering or not.
He is just a old bugger nothing else. Grow old gracefully man and grow up even if you have crossed the mark of 60, it s never too late.
Whether childish or not, IK made a CORRECT decision by not sharing the stage with salman.
Salman Rushdie also looks like Satan depicted in most of the children's books in English. I believe it is not a coincidental resemblance.
@9inchLong: If the intentions are honest 90 days is more than enough,give IK a chance in my view he is your best hope.
PTI is an obvious choice for voters because PPP government exposed in center (Corruption of billions in every department, rental power, steel mill, Pakistan Railways, Benazir Income support scheme etc) and PMLN in the Punjab (Dengue, Inter Result, PIC fake medicine, Mehran bank, Sapna Khan case, Ayesha Ahad case, Aqeel Anjum case, Fake Polio vaccine etc)
He refuses to share the stage with Rushdie, but has no qualms in doing so with Hafeez Saeed??
Salman Rushdie is an aging has been. Who cares. He probably just wants media attention. Never heard him do anything for the community except self promote himself.
Let India proudly celebrate and cherish one of her own. There is no need for Pakistanis to attend. I will take a born-again Imran Khan over a never-reformed Rushdie any day to represent me. It is but one more example that proves we are two different races.
Here are some puppits of nawaz who feeding them but dont care that enemy of muslims who spread his hatters of Islam and Imran just oppose the enemy of muslims and now these nawaz puppit criticize imran khan,,imran khan will make a history Inshallah, and will eleminate these all looters and shooters of the country....
@Sarah Khan: They're stuck on it because everyone likes a good example of foolishness, especially if it doubles as funny, when they're being derogatory.
"Childish" is what we call pulling out of a conclave of international significance because it may be attended by a writer whose views you didn't like.
@9inchLong: Passion. But you cannot understand so carry on with your troll. Keep it up
@Ali Azfar: I dare you reproduce what "Satanic Verses" has to say about the "Mothers of the faithful", about the Prophet. Its hate speech pure and simple.
I am against the Irani death warrant and public demonstration at the time.Saudi Arabia and Iran just used it for PR to out do each other in there display of contempt, to prove their religious credentials. It elevated this rat into a free speech matyr, which he isnt. He should be treated with the contempt shown to Holocaust denier writers in Europe or America. Boycott him.
Its a bland and unreadable book for non believers but a Muslim cannot read it without his blood boiling over couple of times. Go ahead Hot shot. Post it
Sorry, I strongly disagree with PTI. Even children have dignity, they will probably not sell their soul for few dollars and fame. Rushdie's comments are shameful and non-nonsensical beyond belief. He is babbling like an infant.
@Shanawar Hashmi:
Is Imran honest? He hates Rushdie but not SSP. One has killed, burned churches and bibles other hasn't. Where is the honesty in playing politics with the blood of the innocent and desecration of churches and bibles? Apparently it helps to gain votes by supporting murderers.
Is Imran's team honest? Those who approved the NRO as cabinet ministers are sitting with him. If NRO is wrong then how is his team innocent and not corrupt? You can’t have it both ways but Imran and his supporters are trying to have it both ways.
@Sarah Khan: Good comment.. But these IK bashers have one thing in common with the Taliban.. they both have closed-minds unable to think rationally and outside of their pre-concieved notions.
Should Imran Khan have gone on the same stage as Sulman Rushdie ? ABSOLUTELY !!! Imran Khan is promoting a side of Islamic belief which says the prophet of God is not to be questioned when the Quran has verses in it making clear that the prophet of God was nothing more than a man .... a flesh and blood entity !!! So Rushdie said somethings about the Prophet which were in bad taste ? This is an ideal chance for Imran Khan to show the world that the Muslim nation is more then an autocratic self-righteous group of people ... a group of people who could not care less about the vile sentiments of a few misguided and more about the ability of the nation to rise above its current state and shine. IK is promoting a process which does not question itself i.e. a belief in our religions (which is rational and logical and allows disparate views to be aired) hegemony. Any process which does not question itself is doomed for failure. "Read in the name of Allah ..." has deeper meaning than most would care to shed light upon. Imran Khan should have gone, completely ignored SR, and made a great speech highlight Islam and Pakistan while SR was in the crowd .... now that would have been the ideal response .....
@9inchLong: If a country elects a leader who is honest then at least 50% of corruption is eliminated there and then. How? If he's honest, his team will be honest, who will enforce honesty across the board.
I wonder why are all these critics of Imran Khan badly stuck on his end-corruption-in-90-days claim. If you guys have inculcated cynicism and pessimism as a part of your character doesn't mean you have to spread hopelessness amongst the rest also. What would it take for you to realize that when Imran Khan talks about ending corruption in 90 days, he talks about ending the highest scale corruption that involves plundering of national funds mainly by the politicians for personal benefits. This is the most hazardous kind of corruption faced by Pakistan and it only requires a little cleanly devoted intention(that nobody possesses right now) and just as common sense might suggest that this type doesnt require ages to be eradicated. He means that if within 90 days, a government is unable to put itself on the right direction, it might just does not want to. If you keep stalling the right things means your devotion towards them is dubious. You cannot complain before you even give the person a chance to do something. Please, for the love of God, stop being skeptics.
its amusing that salman rushdie should require IK's presence to 'dignify him.'
Salman Rushdie's comments were justified. You should have a mind open enough to listen to views that contradict yours...and not be hurt by them like a sensitive little girl. its a diverse world. its Imran Khan who was childish. My apologies to sensitive little girls everywhere who may be hurt by this..
Who is Salman Rushdie ? do we or rather should we care ?
@Tehreek-e-Insaf FATA: lolzz...welcome to Pakistan. That shows that our political elite are so drenched in conspiracy theories that even using the same facts, they can arrive at diametrically opposite results and most of all, consider their version to be the only true and objective point of view.
ET Rushdi has no importance for us, even i m not a PTI supporter but why do u love to publish news related to Rushdi, the man who hurt Muslims all over the world and showing him especially to the people of a country who even hates to see him
We beleive that Imran will end top level corruption in 90 days. There is no doubt. This is not childish. Imran Khan have a will to eliminate corruption. So he will do that.
so what will one call this statement: "I will end corruption in 90 days" = childish?
Wonder why Rushdie has singled out Imran Khan for such childish criticism when many Indian leaders like new UP CM and others pulled out of the event just like IK. Its IRONIC that all of Imran Khan's opponents find conflicting (and often childish) points to criticize IK. PML-N says " IK is puppet of Establishment (read ISI)", JUI says "IK is agent of Jewish Lobby and Israel", PPP & liberals say "IK is Taliban Khan", TTP says " IK is stooge of USA and Americans", Rushdie & Co says "IK is stooge of Army and Mullahs", ANP says "IK is enemy of Pashtuns". Cant understand what all IK is? But one thing is clear: Pakistanis say that "IK is a son of Pakistan who has always made Pakistan proud; never sold his conscience and beliefs".