PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti I File photo | Photo Credit: PTI

Srinagar: Former Jammu & Kashmir chief minister and PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti raked up controversy after she praised Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan for renaming Baloki forest reserve after Sikh guru Guru Nanak Dev. In the same tweet, Mufti compared the situation with Centre’s bid to rename historic cities and its focus on getting Ram Mandir.

“How times change. Centre’s top priority is seemingly renaming historic cities & building Ram Mandir. On the other hand, heartening to see that Pak PM has initiated steps to name Baloki forest reserve after Guru Nanak ji & create a university under his name,” Mufti said in a statement on Twitter.

How times change. Centre’s top priority is seemingly renaming historic cities & building Ram Mandir. On the other hand , heartening to see that Pak PM has initiated steps to name Baloki forest reserve after Guru Nanak ji & create a university under his name. https://t.co/2LWuZ0j1MT — Mehbooba Mufti (@MehboobaMufti) February 10, 2019

Earlier, Imran Khan expressed his desire to establish a university in Nanakana Sahib and rename it after the Sikh guru. After Pak PM’s speech at Balloki in Nankana Sahib on Saturday, his party Pakistan Tehreek-e-insaf (PTI) confirmed the same. “Pakistan belongs to all citizens equally and we will ensure that Sikh pilgrims are facilitated for 550th anniversary of Guru Nanak,” PTI said.

Incidentally, Gopal Singh Chawla, a senior leader of Pakistan Sikh Gurudwara Prabhandak Committee (PSGPC) was also invited to the event. Singh is the general secretary of the PSGPC and is known as a pro-Khalistan stance. The statement made in presence of a pro-Khalistani leader irked New Delhi.

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“Monuments and old cities with Muslim names are being given Hindu names. There's a race to build the temple. Muslims are killed in the name of cow vigilantism, instead of taking action govt puts them in jails under NSA like in MP. Politics being done in name of Hindutva,” Mufti later told ANI.

The PDP leader also lauded Pakistan for its legislation to save temples. “If you compare you'll feel that there is some kind of exchange between our nation formed on foundation of secularism & Pakistan formed on basis of religion,” she said.