PTI Chairman Imran Khan has distanced himself from the Pakistani pilgrims, who had chanted slogans against Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his delegation during their visit to Masjid-e-Nabwi (PBUH) on Thursday.
In an interview, the full recording of which will be aired on the first day of Eidul Fitr, Imran said he cannot even imagine of asking anyone to carry out sloganeering at the sacred place.
“I have spoken about Islamophobia at every forum,” Imran is seen as saying in a snippet of the interview.
“The reason for doing so is my belief that until you do not love Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him), your faith is not complete. I cannot think of asking anyone to do sloganeering at that sacred place.”
PM Shehbaz is in Saudi Arabia on a three-day visit, along with a delegation including members of his cabinet Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, Miftah Ismail, Nawabzada Shahzain Bugti, Marriyum Aurangzeb, Khawaja Asif, Chaudhry Salik Hussain, Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, Mohsin Dawar and Maulana Tahir Ashrafi, among others.
Video clips which went viral on social media on Thursday showed some of the pilgrims chanting slogans of chor (thieves) as soon as members of the official delegation arrived at the holy mosque.
