ISLAMABAD - Minister of State for Information, Broadcasting, National History and Literary Heritage Marriyum Aurangzeb on Sunday severely condemned the incident of shoe throwing at former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and said that all the politicians and other stakeholders would have to move forward with a collective thought to prevent the recurrence of such happenings ,otherwise, they could become a common sight in the class rooms, schools and market places.

Talking to private news channels, she said that the incident was the outcome of the culture of violence and the slogans like drag them out, pick them up and pull them down introduced by Imran Khan during the last four and half years.

Marriyum said, “When a leader stands and talks like that it changes, nurtures and forms mindsets and behaviours of millions of people.”

The Minister said that the politicians would have to think seriously that transforming the difference of opinion into hate syndrome would be a misfortune for the whole society.

She said that no words would be enough to denounce the incident not because it happened with Nawaz Sharif but because the emerging trend in the society was very worrying.

Marriyum welcomed the condemnation of the incident by political leaders and Imran Khan and remarked that it was imperative to go beyond that and integrate that thinking with their behaviours.

She said that a leader should choose his words carefully, adding, Imran could not come up with any performance during the last four and a half years except making provocative speeches.

The Minister said that the issue did not relate to any one party and it was imperative for the leaders to realise collectively that their behaviours were bound to be reflected in the society.

She said that media, particularly those who sat on the TV channels in the evening should play their positive role alongwith the government to change the attitudes and behaviours of people.

Marriyum observed that Khawaja Asif and Ahsan Iqbal faced similar occurrences but they pardoned those who were responsible for them because they were the followers of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) who always preached forgiveness, adding, people should follow their lives in conformity with the Holy Prophet's (PBUH) sayings and the way he lived his life.

The Minister said that the people should learn a lesson from the incident and try to inculcate the virtue of tolerance in their lives.

She wondered what would the international media be showing and stating about that happening and emphasised the need for individual and collective efforts to prevent them.