News Desk |
Shireen Mazari, PTI’s Federal Minister for Human Rights, has penned down the letter to the United Nations seeking the removal of Indian actress Priyanka Chopra from the honorary global peace ambassador post.
Mazari sought Chopra’s removal in the aftermath of recent assertions made by the Indian actress, tantamount to endorsing aggression, and a threat to the peace and stability of the world. Mazari based her letter on the controversy in which Priyanka Chopra snubbed a Pakistani girl calling her a hypocrite. The federal minister stressed that Chopra endorsed India’s aggression, a threat of nuclear war to Pakistan, and its tyranny in Jammu & Kashmir.
Her open advocacy for war under the veil of ‘patriotism’ has, according to Mazari, undermined the values of peace and stability, which she was expected to uphold as the UN’s Goodwill ambassador. Shireen Mazari admonished that Chopra has shamed the UN’s trust placed on her. The continuation of the relationship with Priyanka Chopra, following the controversy, will be a shame for the globally acclaimed organization.
Armeena Khan questioned whether UNICEF would wish to continue their partnership with Priyanka Chopra despite her repeated confessions of supporting war.
Shireen Mazari also remarked that in the actress’s support of PM Modi’s jingoism, she has discredited the several international conventions of the United Nations passed on the disputed territory of Kashmir.
Mazari also protested against India’s continued oppression of human lives in Jammu Kashmir. She highlighted the plight of Kashmiris forced to live under siege and asserted how children and women, in particular, are inflicted with physical and sexual abuse. She stressed that the lives of 4 million Muslim Kashmiris are in danger since the BJP-led Indian government decided to carry out an ethnic cleansing of the Muslim population in the valley. She mentioned that the denying of citizenship to the Muslim population in Assam has further strengthened Pakistan’s assertions of a Nazi ideology perpetuated by the BJP government.
Sent letter to UNICEF chief regarding UN Goodwill Ambassador for Peace Ms Chopra pic.twitter.com/PQ3vwYjTVz
— Shireen Mazari (@ShireenMazari1) August 21, 2019
Armeena’s Call to Remove Priyanka Chopra
Earlier, Pakistani actress Armeena Khan submitted a verbal protest against Chopra’s remarks to the United Nations, demanding her removal from the post. Shireen Mazari supported Khan’s protest. Armeena Khan not only protested on social media but also wrote an open letter to UNICEF’s Executive Director Henrietta H Fore to repeal Priyanka Chopra from her status of a global peace ambassador.
Read more: Armeena Khan asks UNICEF to take action against Priyanka Chopra
Armeena Khan questioned whether UNICEF would wish to continue their partnership with Priyanka Chopra despite her repeated confessions of supporting war. Khan wrote that the Pakistani girl’s legitimate question was discarded as ‘venting’. People of Pakistan would distance themselves from the UNICEF if the organization failed to comply by the demands of removing the actress from her status of a peace ambassador, stated Armeena Khan in her letter.
Mehwish Hayat slams Priyanka Chopra
Hayat reached to out international media outlets and slammed the acclaimed actress Priyanka Chopra for her irresponsible and ill-thought statements.
In her article to CNN, titled ‘The Problem With Priyanka Chopra’, Hayat chided the Indian actress for her “jingoistic”, “faux activism”, and failing to stand at par with her responsibilities as a UN Goodwill Ambassador. Adding that, “Celebrities who act as charity spokespersons should always focus on humanitarianism. Chopra – again, a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador – should not be using her voice to legitimize a regime opposed to the values she claims to represent.”
Priyanka Chopra’s remarks prompted a whirlwind of criticism on social media, especially after India’s annexation of Jammu Kashmir following the dissolution of its Article 370 and 35-A.
Hayat pointed out the pros and cons of hiring celebrities as global peace ambassadors. “Chopra’s response did have the effect of both shining a light on the crisis in Kashmir (despite Indian media’s blackout and food blockade in Kashmir), and forcing many of us to think about celebrity activism, its uses – and its abusiveness,” wrote Hayat in her article.
What Happened?
Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra was attending a cosmetic event ‘BeautyCon’, when a Pakistani fan named Ayesha Malik cited her tweet, released on February 26th, appreciating the Indian Air Force for their intrusion in Pakistan, called out Priyanka Chopra for supporting aggression and nuclear war. Chopra’s appreciation of IAF’s strike in Pakistan was tantamount to fueling a war between two nuclear states, India and Pakistan.
The conversation between the two women was caught on camera and released on social media, which unfolded into a global controversy.
“You are a United Nations Goodwill ambassador for peace and you are encouraging nuclear war in Pakistan. There is no way you are in this… As a Pakistani, millions of people, like me, have supported you in your business,” Malik stated at the event.
Read more: Sonam Kapoor responds to backlash on her Kashmir statement
The Indian actress responded to Malik’s query by stating that she has ample friends from Pakistan but she is also patriotic. Adding, “So I’m sorry if I hurt sentiments of people who do love me and have loved me. But I think that all of us have a sort of a middle ground that we all have to walk. Just like you probably do as well. The way that you came at me right now… girl, don’t yell. We’re all here for love.”
Priyanka Chopra’s remarks prompted a whirlwind of criticism on social media, especially after India’s annexation of Jammu Kashmir following the dissolution of its Article 370 and 35-A.