[Entertainment] Difficult to be vocal about minorities in Pakistan: Osman Khalid Butt

Popular actor Osman Khalid Butt on Friday said that out of the fear of backlash, it is difficult for people to call out discrimination against religious minorities in Pakistan

In his latest tweet, the actor explains that speaking in favour of certain minorities may lead the majority to suffer the same fate as the oppressed.

He writes, “It is difficult for us to come to terms with and be vocal about the discrimination and apartheid of religious minorities in Pakistan – mostly because of fear. We fear the same persecution and ostracism they face almost on a daily basis.”

Another reason, he said, is that little progress has been made to humanise them beyond statistics and their obvious ‘otherness’ – “a prejudice that has passed on from generation to generation”.

Butt concludes by addressing a thread he shared recalling the Lahore massacre of May 28, 2010 which occurred during the Friday prayers.

The incident saw 94 people killed and more than 120 injured in simultaneous attacks against places of worship of a minority community.

Not long ago, actor Ushna Shah had also tweeted along the same lines. She said, “Imagine if we were allowed to be this enraged for the minorities of our country. We can’t even take to the streets for them. Forget the establishment, our own fundos would label it heresy/blasphemous and execute us.”