Former provincial minister Punjab for information and culture Fayyaz-ul-Hassan Chohan has rejoined the provincial cabinet as minister for forestry, wildlife, and fisheries. He took the oath on Friday at the Governor House Punjab from Punjab Assembly speaker Chaudhary Pervaiz Elahi.
The vacancy filled by Chohan was earlier held by Sibtain Khan. He resigned from the office last month over alleged corruption charges.
The ceremony was attended by various government officials including Chief Minister Punjab Sardar Usman Buzdar. He congratulated Chohan and conveyed best wishes on rejoining. On the other side, opposition party PML-N has filed a resolution against the appointment with regard to his statement against the religious minorities. PML-N leader Majid Bukhari claimed this as a shameful act. “During his six months as a minister, Chohan disrespected journalists, actors, and politicians. There should be no place in the Punjab Assembly for those who promote religious extremism and use hate speech,” the resolution added.
Earlier this year in March, while speaking to a press conference on the tension between India and Pakistan, he made insulting remarks against the Hindu community. The remarks were widely condemned by masses and the minister was removed from his office by the Punjab government. He referred to the Hindu community as “cow-urine drinking people”.
Explaining his stance later, he said, “I was referring to Indian PM Narendra Modi, RAW and India media. The remarks weren’t meant for any person in Pakistan. My message was for Indians. I didn’t demean any religion. The things I said are a part of Hindutva. I said things that are a part of their religion,”. The matter was also taken into notice by PM Khan who ordered strict action against the situation and claimed that such remarks will not be tolerated. Later the event, multiple government officials including Naeemul Haq, Shireen Mazari and Asad Umer gave statements in favor of the minorities to cover up the mess.
