Javed Akhtar slams Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari over remarks on ‘tolerating’ Hindu minority: ‘Mr ten percent, insensitive’

Veteran Indian screenwriter and lyricist Javed Akhtar is known to always be vocal about his opinions. He has never minced his words when it comes to reacting on what he feels like, which also includes sometimes setting the trolls straight or expressing his patriotism. The screenwriter has now criticised Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari over his recent comments about the country’s Hindu minority, accusing the former of being consistently “insensitive” to those around him.For those not in the know, Akhtar’s remarks have come after Zardari addressed a gathering during Pakistan’s Independence Day celebrations, where he spoke about the status of Hindus in Pakistan and compared their situation with that of Hindus in India.“The Indians have a different point of view. They have their own agenda in mind. They believe in Akhand Bharat. But there is a lot in between which they have forgotten. We are Muslims. They are not. But we are Muslims of the mindset that we tolerate 3-4 per cent Hindu population in Pakistan. They are as free, as good as anywhere else they were. They would rather be with us than be with them,” Zardari said, according to a clip aired by CNN-News18.Akhtar responded sharply on social media, taking particular aim at Zardari’s use of the word “tolerate” while referring to Pakistan’s Hindu population. He also made a pointed reference to the Pakistani president’s long-standing nickname, “Mr Ten Per Cent.”“Mr Zardari of Pakistan, who had come into the limelight after Benazir Bhutto had married him, says that they tolerate the 3-4 per cent Hindu population in their country. I understand, Mr Zardari, you have always been insensitive to all under the sun, which is less than 10 per cent,” Akhtar wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Zardari, the widower of former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto, acquired the nickname “Mr Ten Per Cent” in the late 1980s and early 1990s amid allegations that he demanded a 10 per cent commission in connection with government projects and business dealings. Zardari denied the allegations.The nickname gained wider prominence after the dismissal of Bhutto’s government by then-President Ghulam Ishaq Khan in 1990. At the time, caretaker Prime Minister Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi levelled serious allegations against Zardari.“A 10 per cent commission had to be paid to get permission for setting up any project. Commissions had to be paid to get bank loans… Zardari is a party to all that happened. He is the kingpin,” Jatoi told TIME in 1990.