A Lahore-based Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader on Thursday issued an apology after he was held accountable for hate speech by citizens.

Mian Akram Usman, the PTI Lahore general secretary, had put up banners all over city with the text “Hindu baat ne nahi, laat se maanta hai” (Hindus cannot be reasoned with using words but by force) along with his own, Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan and Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s picture.

The banners were apparently displayed in connection with Kashmir Solidarity Day, which was observed across the country on February 5.

Usman took to Twitter after social media users blasted him for casual racism and hate speech, saying that he intends to apologise to “all peacefully living ‘Hindus’ [on] both sides of the border”.

However, he did not take full responsibility of his actions and blamed the printer who he said had replaced “Modi” with “Hindu” on his own accord, insisting that he had asked for any text that was critical of Indian Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi.

Later, while responding to a Twitter user, Usman said the posters had been removed “immediately” after they came to his notice. “I’m not the one who [gets] stuck on mistakes,” he wrote.

Human Rights Minister Shireen Mazari in a tweet on Thursday said the PTI general secretary had been “reprimanded and posters were taken off immediately”.

She termed it “a shameful and ignorant approach by the individual”.

Similarly, human rights activist Kapil Dev also jabbed at the PTI leader, saying that Usman should not have used the picture of “beloved” founder Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah in his “hate-filled” posters against the Hindu community.

“Sometimes in our jingoism we forget the fact that 4 million + Hindus live in #Pakistan too. Similarly, 200+ million #Muslims live in India too. Mr Usman, you should not at least have used photo of my beloved Quaid Muhammad Ali Jinnah in you hate-filled poster against #Hindus.”