India’s envoy to the United Nations Syed Akbaruddin on Friday lashed out at Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan for posting an old video clip from Bangladesh and alleging that it was a case of “Indian police’s pogrom against Muslims in UP [Uttar Pradesh]”.
“Repeat offenders. Old habits die hard,” Akbaruddin tweeted. The permanent representative to the United Nations also included a clip from 2017 that showed Pakistani envoy Maleeha Lodhi displaying a photo of a girl injured in Israeli airstrikes in Gaza, and passing her off as a victim of Indian security forces.
Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar also criticised Khan. “Tweet fake news,” he posted on social media. “Get caught. Delete tweet. Repeat. Old habits die hard.”
Earlier in the day, Uttar Pradesh Police quickly pointed out that Khan’s tweet was fake, and posted the original video. “This is not from UP, but from a May 2013 incident in Dhaka, Bangladesh,” said the police force. It added that the “RAB” written on the shirts of individuals in the video would help Khan be “better informed”.
The Uttar Pradesh Police have been accused of using excessive force against people protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Act. At least 19 people were killed in last month’s protests in the state. The police have also been accused of detaining and torturing minors.
The Citizenship Amendment Act, approved by Parliament on December 11, provides citizenship to refugees from six minority religious communities from Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Pakistan, provided they have lived in India for six years and entered the country by December 31, 2014. The Act has been widely criticised for excluding Muslims.
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