Trevor Noah apologises for jokes about India-Pakistan border conflict

'As a comedian I use comedy to process pain and discomfort in my world but I am sorry that this hurt you and others, that’s not what I was trying to do'

Trevor Noah has apologised for jokes made about the rising tensions between India and Pakistan over Kashmir.

In a segment on The Daily Show, the comedian said a war between the two countries would be “the most entertaining”, adding that “it would also be the longest war of all time – another dance number!”

The jokes received an immediate backlash, with writer and political commentator Zainab Sikander‏ writing on Twitter: “It’s sad when someone who’s had a violent past mocks war through a Bollywood stereotype. @Trevornoah ‘s mother was shot in the head by her husband (Trevor’s stepfather). Imagine someone making fun of it with a Xhosa stereotype – the tribe his mum belongs to.”

“Actually if you watch my stand up you’ll see that I did make jokes after my mother was shot in the head,” Noah wrote in response. “As a comedian I use comedy to process pain and discomfort in my world but I am sorry that this hurt you and others, that’s not what I was trying to do.”

He added in a separate tweet: “It’s amazing to me that my joke about the conflict in India and Pakistan trended more than the story of the actual conflict itself. Sometimes it seems like people are more offended by the jokes comedians make about an issue than the issue itself.”

Arunoday Mukharji‏ also criticised Noah on Twitter. “This is just vile & despicable,” he wrote. “You’ve called out racial injustice, violence against women, bigotry & colonial oppression in the past. And now @Trevornoah you’ve undone all you claimed to have stood for with this racist, insensitive & ignorant attempt at a quick gag.”

Since the partition of British India in 1947 and the creation of the modern states of India and Pakistan, the two countries have been involved in several wars, conflicts, and military stand-offs.

Both countries have laid claim to the entirety of the Kashmir region, although each country only controls a part of it. The past two weeks have seen an extreme escalation in tension, culminating in Pakistan shooting down an Indian fighter jet and capturing an Indian pilot. They were later released.

Cross-border shelling in the past few days has killed seven people on the Pakistani side and four on the Indian side of Kashmir.