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Updated 26 Sep, 2016

Pakistan-born actor Marc Anwar is the latest to join the India-Pakistan tug of war. Unfortunately for him, he has been sacked from British TV show Coronation Street after posting racially offensive tweets against India.

The most popular TV soap's broadcaster ITV termed the incident as "entirely unacceptable, racially offensive".

Anwar, 45, joined Coronation Street, the world's longest-running TV soap opera, in 2014 as a member of the show's first Muslim family.

The Sunday Mirror newspaper published screenshots of the messages posted on his personal Twitter account.

The posts hit out at India over the Kashmir dispute and suggested Pakistani actors should refuse to work in the country.

"Indians killing our Kashmir brothers and sisters," he wrote in one tweet.

However, many of his tweets were not as discreet and contained insulting terms.

An ITV spokeswoman said: "We are deeply shocked by the entirely unacceptable, racially offensive comments made on Twitter by Marc Anwar.

"We have talked to Marc and, as a consequence of his comments, he will not be returning to Coronation Street with immediate effect."

His character, gymnasium boss Sharif Nazir, will still appear in scenes that have already been filmed for upcoming episodes.

The actor has appeared in Hollywood films including Captain Phillips and 51st State.

Comments

NOBoDy Sep 26, 2016 02:18pm
He payed for his deeds. Truth always prevails
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Mukul Sep 26, 2016 03:06pm
He can express his opinions but he had no business using slurs and name calling was not necessary he is a mediocre side show actor anyway no big loss to the production
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Iqbal Bhai Sep 26, 2016 03:34pm
So much for freedom of speech!
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Mustafa R. Sep 26, 2016 04:03pm
Freedom of expression British style.
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Feroz Sep 26, 2016 04:21pm
Use of racial slurs is unacceptable in most civil societies. He is an actor not politician.
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Marcus Sep 26, 2016 05:35pm
This disgraceful a majority of Indians are cool and peace loving although you are entitled to express your opinion about the atrocities committed by the Indian government in Kashmir you have no right to criticise them racially. Love from Pakistan.
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Jahanzaib Sep 26, 2016 05:57pm
He paid for stating the truth
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abc Sep 26, 2016 06:52pm
@Jahanzaib and please repeat the truth again
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Yash Sep 26, 2016 07:01pm
@Jahanzaib . So he has paid for it. Why is he apologising now if he thinks what he said was correct?
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S G ABBAS Sep 26, 2016 07:07pm
Well! Well!! Well!!When AH makes hatred speeches from London, Britishers keep MUM!! Now, a single twitter in favour of his beloved country, the gentleman has got into this much troubles? Are standards right? Regards Ghazanfar
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T Moitra Sep 26, 2016 08:28pm
Freedom of speech has limits, his tweets were racially offensive and in a civilized society such type of speech has no place.
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Ram Narayanan Sep 26, 2016 09:13pm
@Jahanzaib : Good....his comments were incendiary.
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Indian Sep 26, 2016 11:51pm
I think he can express his view in better way if not happy and hate someone. I am not happy here with Pakistani terrorists it doen not mean I would abuse all the Pakistanis because everywhere there are good, bad and ugly people are there.
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Dervaish Khan Sep 26, 2016 11:52pm
A Pakistani actor in a western country is a representative of the whole Subcontinental diaspora.
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Duda Sep 27, 2016 07:07am
Probably that will teach you to behave!!
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Shopman Sep 27, 2016 09:56am
I hope this guy never ever appears on screen again. Freedom of speech does not mean freedom to racism. What he wrote was downright racist and someone at his position must know the consequences of his actions. I am happy that the producers of Coronation Street have done away with him and sent out a clear message that racism in any context for whatever reason is not acceptable.
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shubs Sep 27, 2016 10:24am
@Iqbal Bhai "So much for freedom of speech!" He lives in a modern democratic nation. Perhaps you're not used to the norms of civilized society, but he should, if he wants to earn his living there.
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Kau Sep 27, 2016 10:24am
Kudos ro BBC. This bloke is not a Kashmiri.
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Ramesh Nakhwa Sep 27, 2016 10:25am
@Jahanzaib Well his truth I should say made him jobless
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gary Sep 27, 2016 01:09pm
@Iqbal Bhai You did not like when your religion were mocked. Those people were also expressing their rights.
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gary Sep 27, 2016 01:10pm
@shubs Let him earn his living in Pakistan.
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Jigar Sep 27, 2016 08:36pm
I bet this guy will never come back to pakistan to live. Living in UK and working for a big show, he probably thought he was a big shot actor and he can influence the community with his remarks and get away with it. He is a spoiled brat.
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Himanshu Sep 28, 2016 12:18am
Awwww.
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UA Sep 28, 2016 06:30am
@Iqbal Bhai You haven't read all of the stuff he posted. Click on that link to the Sunday Mirror. Even as a Pakistani, I must admit, at least some of what he posted was extremely insulting. He got what was coming to him.
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SQ Sep 28, 2016 01:41pm
His comments are churlish and vulgar and as evident by his sacking, didn't help the cause for which he made them.
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Shiju Sep 29, 2016 12:34pm
nowhere to go for our people now.
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nomanland Sep 30, 2016 11:16am
zero tolerance for racial hatred ...
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