Anti-India tweet: After job loss, Pakistani-origin actor apologises

Days after his anti-India tweets, Pakistan-born UK actor Marc Anwar has apologised on a video-sharing website on Monday. The 45-year-old's apology comes hours after he was sacked from the popular British TV drama, Coronation Street, for his racist and offensive comments against Indians.

In the video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFceIay0flY), he said, "On Friday 23rd September 2016, I posted a number of tweets which have been misconstrued and made out as an attack on the people of India. Whilst my language was totally unacceptable my frustration was vented at the governments of the two countries and their hypocrisy. My absolute sympathies lie with all those suffering in areas of conflict. In this particular instance especially of those of Indian occupied Kashmir."

The broadcaster of the television soap, ITV, on Sunday said Anwar's comments about Indians on social media are "entirely unacceptable, racially offensive".

"We are deeply shocked by the entirely unacceptable, racially offensive comments made on Twitter by Marc Anwar," said a spokesperson from ITV.

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

The actor became a part of the world's longest-running TV soap opera in 2014. He played the role of a Muslim man named Sharif Nazir in the drama series.

His offensive tweets came close on the heels of escalating tension between India and Pakistan over Kashmir in the recent times.

"Indians killing our Kashmir brothers and sisters," Anwar wrote. He called Indians "b*****ds" and used other insulting terms.

OneIndia News