BROADCASTER ITV has sacked Coronation Street actor Marc Anwar after he posted racial slurs against Indians on Twitter.
Anwar played the part of Sharif Nazir for over a year in the long-running TV soap and reports said ITV is working to reduce his screen time on episodes already shot with a view to subsequently writing him out of the plot.
In a statement, ITV 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.”
In his posts, which appear to have been deleted, Anwar ranted about the strife in Kashmir and also called for a ban on Indian movies in Pakistan. His posts followed recent attacks in Kashmir, which have escalated a war of words between Indian and Pakistani leaders.
Anwar’s character in the ITV soap involves a seven-year affair and a blackmail plot.
