Former Pakistani actor and director, Ashir Azeem, is under fire for requesting the Pakistan Army and General Qamar Javed Bajwa to launch a crackdown against the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) party and its leader, Imran Khan, on Sunday.
His remarks in his recent YouTube video elicited a strong reaction from PTI supporters.
The Canada-based Pakistani made a very controversial YouTube video recently, in which he stated that the army cannot afford to lose control of the country to Imran Khan’s nationwide movement. He believes the consequences could lead to mass killings.
While Ashir Azeem opposed the notion of military interference in politics, he went on to say that General Bajwa should order the Pakistan Army to go hard on PTI, even if it meant killing thousands of party supporters.
Choice before Army & Gen Bajwa.
Is appeasement a choice or crackdown inevitable. https://t.co/p2q6JRCxgG— Asher Azeem (@ashirazeemgill) November 6, 2022
Twitterati strongly opposed Ashir Azeem’s views.
I must say I was actually sad hearing this from you. It would have been fine if you asked them to bring a level playing field for politicians and get out of the politics but to ask them to take over was something that I never expected from you.
— Ubaid R Butt (@UbaidRButt) November 6, 2022
https://twitter.com/rabiana12901443/status/1589258124342743040?s=20&t=WN7dnhbe2lOHEasGkP3jXg
Didn't expect this from you but then every civilian supremacist, democrat, woke has been spewing the same venom.
Quite vile, seeing this coming from you.
— Aurelius (@EngrAurelius) November 6, 2022
https://twitter.com/rabiana12901443/status/1589257640713940992?s=20&t=WN7dnhbe2lOHEasGkP3jXg
What are you? A political expert? A military expert?
You are just a shameless man, living in 1857. I'm sure Ur blood line shares Colonel Reginald Edward Harry Dyer n Narindra Modi— Khan (@DarthGzuz) November 6, 2022
People started requesting Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the Canadian government to take action against Ashir Azeem.
https://twitter.com/InsurgoPK/status/1589261804592848896?s=20&t=WN7dnhbe2lOHEasGkP3jXg
https://twitter.com/sabrshukar/status/1589256339070414849?s=20&t=WN7dnhbe2lOHEasGkP3jXg
@OntarioPD @JustinTrudeau @CanadianPM
This guy @ashirazeemgill is making hate speech calling for violance, inviting Army to crush civilians from your country.
Please gag him!
— Wasim Ahmed (@Wahmed143) November 6, 2022
Ashir Azeem tried to clear the air in his follow-up tweet that he only wants order and normalcy restored, and that his video “is not incitement to violence but a call to armed forces to end the continuing incitement and call to violence by PTI through fake propaganda”.
This is not incitement to violence but a call to armed forces to end the continuing incitement & call to violence by PTI through fake propoganda (fake shooting of IK, fake vdo of swati, fake blame of Arshad Sharif murder)
Order & normalcy must be restored.— Asher Azeem (@ashirazeemgill) November 6, 2022
About Ashir Azeem
A once-popular Pakistani film and TV director, actor, and writer, Ashir Azeem rose to fame with the hit TV series Dhuwan in 1994. His last project in Pakistan was the film Maalik in 2016, which was banned from being screened. After a lengthy legal battle, the film was finally given the go-ahead but Ashir Azeem suffered immense financial losses because of the setback.
The actor later left Pakistan for Canada, expressing his disappointment with the country’s government and its people.
I left the country coz i got disappointed. Not with Sharifs or Zardaris, yeh to hamesha Esay hi thay, but with the people.
Log asool ki baat nahin karte, asool pe nahin larte, asool par hanste hain. They will always hv Sharifs n Zardaris n Raos only names will change. https://t.co/c5n4Y7jO62— Asher Azeem (@ashirazeemgill) July 14, 2018
He currently resides in Canada where he revealed he works as a truck driver and hosts his YouTube channel on which he discusses political reforms.
What do you think about Ashir Azeem’s remarks? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.