Minister demands return of Koh-e-Noor

ISLAMABAD: Information and Broadcasting Minister Chaudhry Fawad Hussain Thursday said he fully endorsed the demand that the British empire apologise for the Jallianwala Bagh massacre and Bengal famine.

He also demanded that the diamond Kohinoor must be returned to Lahore Museum, to where it belonged.

He wrote in his twitter account, “fully endorse the demand that British empire must apologise to the nations of Pakistan, India and Bangladesh on Jallianwala Massacre and Bengal famine.. these tragedies are the scar on the face of Britain, also KohENoor must be returned to Lahore museum where it belongs”.

Needless to say the minister’s tweet talks about the events, which happened many decades ago and continue to live on in history and in the hearts and minds of many people, particularly those living in the sub-continent.

The Jallianwala Bagh massacre, also known as the Amritsar massacre, had happened on April 13, 1919 when troops of the British Indian Army under the command of Colonel Reginald Dyer opened fire into a crowd of Indians, who had gathered in Jallianwala Bagh, Amritsar, Punjab and this resulted in killings of at least 400 people while some records put the death toll at around 1000.

The minister demanded that the Koh-i-Noor, a 105-carat and one of the world's largest diamonds, which had been part of the British crown jewels for 150 years, be returned to Lahore museum where it belongs.

His statement comes a day after British Prime Minister Theresa May expressed regret over the massacre by British troops in 1919 but stopped short of an apology.

She told the British Parliament, "we deeply regret what happened and the suffering caused". Contrary to her words of regrets, the Labour Party opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn called for a full, clear and unequivocal apology.