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Celebrities lend Iqrarul Hassan support after Twitterati demand an apology over his tweets

Celebrities lend Iqrarul Hassan support after Twitterati demand an apology over his tweets

The anchor's tweets weren't received well by the public, with some going as far as labelling him a traitor.
Updated 18 Jan, 2021

Television host Syed Iqrarul Hassan's claim to fame is his show Sar-e-Aam but over the weekend, he was trending for a different reason: his tweets.

"India vs Pakistan. We are not even sure that we ordered the vaccine or not, banana to door ki baat (making it is another story)," he said.

"Muqabla kerna hai to taleem main kerain, science main kerain, khail main kerain, infrastructure main kerain, economy main kerain, technology main kerain ... aur such ka samna kerain (If you want to compete, do it on the basis of education, science, sports, infrastructure, economy, technology ... and face the truth)."

He then shared photos of public transportation in Pakistan and in India side by side, with the former being in a dismal state.

The anchor didn't stop there. He then pointed out how the Pakistani passport and rupee are of a much lower value as compared to other countries, especially Pakistan's South Asian counterparts.

"Unfortunately, the Pakistani passport holds only as much value as one from Somalia or Afghanistan. The rupee is also at 1.90 compared to the Bangladeshi takka, and 2.20 compared to the Indian rupee," he added.

"May God give us the ability to turn Pakistan into the true meaning of 'zindabad'," he concluded.

The tweets weren't received well by the public, with some going as far as labelling him a traitor. Soon, the hashtag #ApologiseToTheCountry started trending on social media.

Hassan, however, found support from celebrities who helped another hashtag #WeSupportIqrar trend.

"Before bashing anyone, one must see the context of what is being said. Love, devotion and dedication of Iqrar ul Hassan towards our beloved country Pakistan is not even debatable or questionable," pointed out cricketing great Shoaib Akhtar.

He wasn't the only cricketer who came to Hassan's defence; Kamran Akmal also shared his thoughts.

"We can’t judge his love and devotion towards his country by a post; it’s just his wish to see a better transportation system for his own people and his own country. Nothing wrong in that. Stay strong," he said.

Journalist Ihtishamul Haq also raised his voice in support.

"We should all be thankful to Iqrar for exposing mafia in his programs, taking risks and saving hundreds of lives, mostly girls. Instead, we are calling him XYZ agent and making trends against him. This isn’t acceptable. I stand with IQRAR UL HASSAN." he said.

"When a man who has risked his life many a times and worked tirelessly for his country and its people posts a picture that could be his wish to see a better transportation system, judge him for his intention with the same compassion and kindness he has always shown," said singer Ali Zafar in support.

Actor Imran Ashraf also vouched for Hassan's love for his country.

"I know one thing about Iqrar. Whenever he writes something he completes it with the most precious word PAKISTAN ZINDABAD, even his autograph is PAKISTAN ZINDABAD," he concluded. "I support Iqrar."

Comments

shakeel mahota Jan 18, 2021 12:30pm
Iqrar's bitterness comes from his immense passion to see Pakistan in the league of developed nations. We should learn to see at our ills for rectifying them, instead of burying head in the sand.
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s Jan 18, 2021 12:31pm
Altaf hussain bhai zindabad
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ali Jan 18, 2021 12:41pm
I agree to what Iqrar said. One cant succeed until he comes out of denial.
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jaredlee007 Jan 18, 2021 12:44pm
Pakistanis, like Indians, do not want to accept the reality in their own backyard.
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GHAZANFAR ABBAS Jan 18, 2021 12:50pm
Although I do support what he has written. However, his quoted examples from the best from the Indian side and the worst from the Pakistani sides (in transportation) were not good picks. You can find similar photos from India as well. And you can find much better photos from Pakistan too. Thus partial bashing is fine with fro me too.
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ahmed Jan 18, 2021 12:55pm
wake up Pakistanio. we cannot just complain. we have to clean up mess we have made.
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NoVoice Jan 18, 2021 01:19pm
'The further a society shifts from the truth, more it will hate those that speak it' - very apt saying for current Pakistan.
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INDEPENDENT Jan 18, 2021 01:27pm
Well said Iqrar. A bus image is from Karachi, where police is under the influence of PPP and PPP deliberately allow these old notorious buses to run on few routes in Karachi to earn the money. In the rest the country, our transport system is far better than India. Regarding rupee devaluation : Thanks to PML N and PPP for destroying the economy by doing billions of dollars of money laundering. Most of them have exposed with concrete evidence but these shameless politicians are keep denying.
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MA Jan 18, 2021 01:29pm
He is speaking his mind.
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Mike Jan 18, 2021 01:29pm
Bravo!
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Tariq Jan 18, 2021 01:36pm
We as Pakistanis have to face the facts rather than engaging in delusions of grandeur if change for the better is desired. We should support Iqrar.
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Ali Mehdi Jan 18, 2021 01:49pm
We hasten to conclude matters without caring if we are wrong. Let’s face the bitter realities of where we stand.
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AAA Jan 18, 2021 02:01pm
Brave of him, as the media house he belongs to will not be so happy on his stance, but at some point we all need to admit the truth or else will never able to win the race.
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Chrís Dăn Jan 18, 2021 02:24pm
Keep your hand on your heart,heart the home of conscience- and tell me whether Iqrar was wrong in his statement??? No. He is correct what he said with honesty. Why not to start our journey with a truthful acceptance and then we can start improving ourselves. How we can even imagine to move forward,if we do not accept which way we need to go.
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Chrís Dăn Jan 18, 2021 02:25pm
@shakeel mahota we should accept reality. And Iarar is NOT bitter. He is just truthful.
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Chrís Dăn Jan 18, 2021 02:26pm
@MA One must say he is speaking the truth.
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Bleeding_green Jan 18, 2021 02:32pm
Why are we so reluctant to accept the truth? If we want to progress we have to acknowledge our problems and shortcomings. If nothing is wrong, then there is nothing to improve and everything is perfect..
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Somy Jan 18, 2021 02:37pm
He is right. However India is not as much advanced as it is trying to portray through their disinformation media. The present govt is incompetent and is actually pushing India backwards.
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johnpapa Jan 18, 2021 02:55pm
This is not correct comparison, he should have comapred lahore metro and Indian metro so both are at par. It's sounded jealousy for not able to produce vaccine which under capable PMIK leadership will also be sorted in couple of years. Indian roads are full of potholes, their health system is so bad where new born babies die in hospital, no toilets, public transportation overcrowded, Pakistan is at a far better place comapred to India which is showing glory only through propaganda and paid news channel evident from recent disclosure
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Pakistani Jan 18, 2021 02:56pm
Everything Iqrar does is in black and white, no grey areas. He is honest and sincere to Pakistan.
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Shahrukh Jan 18, 2021 02:58pm
Well there's nothing wrong in accepting our shortcomings. But it shouldn't remain that way and we should move towards improvement immediately after introspection.
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Zahid Jan 18, 2021 03:04pm
This fascist govt has set the country backwards
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Sajjad Jan 18, 2021 03:17pm
Love you Iqrar ul Hassan.
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Hamana Jan 18, 2021 03:19pm
Respect for Iqrar as he is showing us the mirror. We need to up our game.
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Logic Jan 18, 2021 04:40pm
Truth is bitter.
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Nauman Jan 18, 2021 04:50pm
Yes we cant argue about his patriotism but he was wrong when he was he comparing our worst with their best? Although he is absolutely right about Pharma issue and state if economy which is dire under this govt.
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SRK Jan 18, 2021 04:56pm
@johnpapa reality is India has been producing 60% of world's vaccines and is called pharmacy of the world. It is also called thr IT hub of the world. All this was possible due to long term investments and education. It wouldn't be possible to sort this in Pakistan in 2 years as you say. It's also true that there are many pockets in which India is not doing good but in terms of oath towards self independence India is far away from Pakistan
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SRK Jan 18, 2021 05:00pm
@johnpapa "This is not correct comparison, he should have comapred lahore metro and Indian metro so both are at par.... " You are missing the point. There are more than dozen Indian cities with metro. India is world's pharmacy, vaccine hub, IT services hub. India is still poor and long way to go but in terms of oath towards self reliance India is far better. Pakistan cannot fix medicine issue in 2 years as you say, as it will take decades of planning , education, training and motive to have a reliable pharmacy and IT Industry and flourish in technology
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King Jan 18, 2021 05:03pm
Although he might be right in some aspects he definitely exaggerated the matter.
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Ghaznavi Jan 18, 2021 05:03pm
@GHAZANFAR ABBAS on contrary that is exactly what we need. Compete their best with our worst. This is surely the way to excel
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SRK Jan 18, 2021 05:08pm
The transport in Karachi is not comparable to at least top 10 Indian cities or Lahore all of which have metro system and decent roads. Considering it is the financial capital it deserves better. Iqrarul is right in venting his frustration. It's causing uproar as comparison is made with India
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SRK Jan 18, 2021 05:17pm
India likes zooming their positivity where as Pakistanis likes zooming their negatively. Indians love to talk about their success and greatness and beautiful feature despite many failures and poverty whereas Pakistan keeps talking about geo political importance of the country and not real needs of the country. There is so much difference in thinking.
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sdf Jan 18, 2021 05:41pm
another attention diverter paid artist.
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conspiracy_theory Jan 18, 2021 05:44pm
No wonder truth is sour.
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Sam Jan 18, 2021 05:52pm
He is telling the truth and we can’t bear that.
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Outsiders Perspective Jan 18, 2021 05:58pm
A nation is doomed to fail where whistleblowers are deemed as traitors... They say "don't kill the messenger" for a reason.
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Hamza Jan 18, 2021 06:44pm
@Zahid Bro! which govt you are talking about? are you talking about the govts which ruled pakistan over the past 30 years?or are you talking about the govt which are ruling for last 2.5 years?
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Zulfiqar Jan 18, 2021 07:11pm
I think Iqrar bought into Indian propaganda. No one can doubt his patriotism however his critical thinking abilities I’m not so sure about.
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Fatcrack Jan 18, 2021 08:08pm
It takes genuine courage, honesty and drive to self improve to do what Iqrar did. Instead of being defensive and bashing him, the country should take this to heart and hold politicians accountable to what really matters.
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Harambe (TheTragic Gorilla) Jan 18, 2021 08:23pm
@Chrís Dăn: The BRAIN is the home of conscience! The heavy beat to the heart when you are distressed is just pumping more oxygen to BRAIN!
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Captain Jan 18, 2021 09:38pm
He always wants to get cheap fame somehow the other ! Always wants to remain in NEWS and considers himself as a big HEALER to humanity
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asim Jan 18, 2021 10:03pm
He has just shown a mirror and mirror does not lie. Unfortunately, this does not go well with current narrative of "all is well" by ruling elite.
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Saeeds Jan 18, 2021 11:19pm
Majority of Pakistan agree with him. Few people always in opposition.
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Humera Jan 18, 2021 11:29pm
Iqrar Bhai u r absolutely right,being a Pakistani I know that what the emotions behind,I know u see Pakistan as a successful Pakistan, And people plz don't see that who is saying see that what is saying. Bhai I will fully support u
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Shoukat sheikh Jan 19, 2021 01:06am
He is correct in everything he said about Pakistan's condition. Truth hearts.
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Imran Khan Jan 19, 2021 03:49am
I support Iqrar Sahib, this is the feeling of 99% overseas pakistani too, but unfortunately Pakistani living in Pakistan are (Kunway kay Manduk) (Frogs of Well)
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cofcol Jan 19, 2021 06:20am
Democracy is the best revenge - Benazir Bhutto. This is so true in the context of Karachi.
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Javed Suleman Jan 19, 2021 07:09am
We are more interested in "Baharia Town" rather than "Genome Valley".
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Hashim Jan 19, 2021 10:35am
Unfortunately, that seems to be he mindset of our nation. Our people seem to be happy the lifestyles of the rich and famous, and believe that to be the norm all across the country. They go into denial whenever they are shown the reality, and someone tries to identify their follies. We dont want anyone to point towards our mistakes, which is a major cause of the ever increasing pace of our social downfall. If one wants to make things better, one has to recognize the reasons of the worsening situation. And that always starts with oneself. Kudos to Iqrar-ul-Hasan for being brave enough to see and expose the reality that our nation so easily denies.
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Imran Jan 19, 2021 10:56am
Its good to criticize bad things but why not also highlight the things that are better in Pakistan..? He seems to be picking only worst and comparing with the best...
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Faisal Azeem Jan 19, 2021 11:23am
This is the problem with our nation... whenever you expose mafias, you will be labelled "traitor'. we must come out of our state of denial
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Jason Jan 19, 2021 12:09pm
@johnpapa You have no Idea about the new India. We just set a record for constructing 74 km strength of National Highway in a single day! One should keep quit if unaware of whats going on. India is changing rapidly because its people understood the advantage of educating their children years back. We are reaping the benefit of this realization. Besides Indians are peaceloving disciplined lot which you can see in Dubai and in other gulf cities.
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Hussein Jan 19, 2021 01:59pm
While I agree with the general sentiment he is trying to convey but some of the comparisons are not correct. Comparing the worst little bus with the best train India has to offer! isn't a fair comparison especialy a digitally enhanced picture that NDTV has shared. Also, Indian covid vaccine has not been tested or approved by any legitimate independent Pharma. The whole wolrd has raised questions on it some even doubted if it even exists and isn't just a copy of the russian vaccine.
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vin Jan 19, 2021 03:41pm
@Hussein Indian vaccine is based on Inactivated SARS-CoV-2 whereas Russian is based on Non-replicating viral vector (adenovirus). So how that can be a copy? Indian people are getting Indian Vaccine. Indian Vaccine phase trial I and II are done, results related to efficacy in Trial III waited. India is donating his neighbouring countries 10 million doses of Indian Vaccine. You cannot digitally enhance live videos of a product - lightening can have an impact though.
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Fazal Jan 19, 2021 07:41pm
What Iqrar Hussain has tweeted, every Pakistani must say loudly. And demand retribution for those who r responsible for current state of affairs.
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Salman Jan 20, 2021 12:06pm
GDP per capita in 2019: Pakistan: USD 1,285 Bangladesh: USD 1,855 India: USD 2,100 Facts don't lie.
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BlindOne Jan 20, 2021 06:03pm
Not one quote from Pakistani women? I guess there is no equality when it comes to giving compliments to men.
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