BHUBANESWAR: Pakistan armed forces spokesperson Major General Asif Ghafoors tweet on Wednesday, hinting at persecution faced by Christians in Odisha, evoked sharp reactions from the community and politicians here.
“Very Merry Christmas to Christians in Pakistan, across the globe and especially to the the ones in the states of Odisha and alike under the Hindutva obsessed environment #MerryChristmas #BeginningOfEnd,” Ghafoor tweeted from his personal handle @peaceforchange.
The generals comment on Christians comes in the middle of a controversy around the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), which seeks to grant Indian citizenship to persecuted minorities, including Christians, from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Odisha has seen instances of violence against Christians earlier, the last being in 2008 when ethno-communal violence directed at the community followed the assassination of Hindu seer Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati.
Reacting sharply to Ghafoors comment, Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan, a native of Odisha, tweeted: “SoRead More – Source
