Former Supreme Court Judge Markandey Katju is the latest to join the bandwagon batting for a Nobel Peace Prize for Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan. In a phone conversation with a Pakistani news channel on Tuesday, Katju was heard praising Imran Khan for de-escalating tensions between India and Pakistan.
In a clip shared by Pakistani journalist Hamid Mir on Twitter, Katju says that he was impressed by Imran's speech in Parliament, adding that he was a real statesman.
"Imran Khan's speech was mature, balanced and full of wisdom. He calmly explained why war is not the solution for both nations. His speech should be shared throughout the world, not just in our subcontinent. He deserves a Nobel Prize," Katju was quoted as saying.
Earlier on Friday, Katju took to Twitter to praise Imran Khan for his speech. "He has shown wisdom and restraint of a statesman, unlike our jingoistic leaders who are sabre rattling," the tweet read.
Following this, he received a lot of threats from Indians. In a tweet, he compared Indians to Pakistanis saying that the former abused him online when he praised Imran but Pakistanis never abused him when he was critical of their PM in the past.
"When I called Pakistan a fake, artificial country, not a single Pakistani abused me. But when I praised Imran Khan, dozens of Indians abused me, calling me senile, traitor, mad and what not, and telling me to migrate to Pakistan. Now who has more maturity?" he wrote.
Pakistan PM Imran Khan received a lot of praise for releasing IAF pilot Abhinandan. Following his 'peace gesture,' Pakistanis signed a petition nominating him for the Nobel Peace Prize. The Pakistan Parliament even submitted a resolution saying he de-escalated hostilities between Pakistan and India, which made him Nobel-worthy.