A day after Shahbaz Gill posted a video of him apologising to Ramesh Kumar for defamatory remarks, the PTI leader clarified that he had only rendered an apology because Kumar belongs to a minority group.
He made the clarification in a tweet replying to Fawad Chaudhry who wondered why Gill had apologised to someone who was ‘turncoat’.
“Calling a turncoat a turncoat is a statement of fact, it doesn’t need an apology,” Fawad wrote.
In response, Gill said he stood by his claim that Kumar had contributed to the ‘regime change operation’ and had ‘sold his conscience’.
“This is a fact,” he added.
However, Gill added that in an argument during a TV show he had used some inappropriate words and people had accused him of using the words because Kumar belonged to a minority.
“I fear God, and so I only apologised for that particular word.”
Gill had posted a video of him sitting with Ramesh Kumar and Kumar’s lawyer Imaan Mazari, in which he apologised for offensive remarks on Saturday.
Gill says in the video that he is facing dozens of cases and is determined to fight him but this case in particular was one he wanted to close off.
“I usually choose the right words due to my academic background, but I used some words with you which I regretted later,” Gill says to Kumar in the video. He adds that the remarks were especially in bad taste because they were directed at a member of the minorities.
In response, Kumar had posted a photo with Gill and said he accepted his apology and was withdrawing the case.
“As it is our tradition in #Sindh, when someone comes to our home, we forgive them,” Kumar wrote.
Gill and Kumar had appeared in TV show together on Dunya News March 17 last year, a few days after Imran Khan’s government had been removed through a no-confidence vote. PTI had blamed turncoats for their loss after they had switched loyalties and gathered in Sindh House against their own party.
Ramesh Kumar was one of these PTI dissidents and had even made TV appearnaces from Sindh House.
In the TV show, Gill accused Kumar of repeatedly reaching the prime minister house to get illegal favours but then turned against the party anyway. Throughout the conversation, Gill had hurled an expletive at Kumar at regular intervals. Kumar even fell silent for a few moments during the exchange at the barrage of insults by Gill. Anchor Kamran Shahid looked on without putting an end to the conversation.
Kumar had subsequently served a notice to Gill on March 20, asking him to apologise within 15 days or face action.
Gill finally tendered his apology on Saturday, saying that
