ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has demanded a formal apology from Britain over the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre and the Bengal famine of 1943 during World War II.

In a message on Twitter on Thursday, federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry also called for the British government to return Koh-i-Noor to “Lahore museum where it belongs”.

Originally belonging to Muslim rulers of the subcontinent before the arrival of the East India Company, Koh-i-Noor is one of the largest cut diamonds in the world, weighing 105.6 carats and part of the British Crown Jewels.

The information minister’s tweet came against the backdrop of a statement by British Prime Minister Theresa May on Wednesday in which she expressed her ‘deep regret’ at the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. The statement made in the House of Commons fell short of a full apology over the killings by the British Indian Army troops. The demand for the apology first came from some Indian politicians.

In his tweet, the minister said: “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.”

April 13 marks the 100th anniversary of the Jallianwala tragedy, one of the worst massacres carried out by the colonial rulers in the subcontinent.

Mr Chaudhry demanded an apology from Britain over the death of around two million people due to starvation in Bengal as a result of oppressive and exploitative policies of the colonial rulers.

Published in Dawn, April 12th, 2019