Reacting to the remarks, government sources said Asif's comments reflected ignorance and underscored the state of Pakistan's political leadership. "That he could be entrusted with his current responsibility says much about today's Pakistan.

Clearly, he has no day job and passes time by making silly comments on matters of which he has little knowledge. Envy is always a bad motivation, particularly so from someone steeped in hate speech," government sources told news agency ANI.