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Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) leader Sharmila Faruqui on Wednesday berated Indian poet and lyricist Javed Akhtar for his “controversial” remarks against the purported presence of “terrorists” in Pakistan during the Faiz Festival in Lahore.
Akhtar was invited by the organisers of the Faiz Festival held in Lahore last week to attend the festival.
While literature lovers were delighted by his presence his anti-Pakistan remarks irked the patriots who lambasted him for his “insensitive comments”.
In a video clip circulating on social media from the festival, the Indian lyricist can be heard differentiating between how India treats Pakistani artists and vice versa, attaching the blame for the Mumbai attack in 2008 on Pakistani ‘terrorists’.
In the video that has gone viral online, Akhtar said that while Indians celebrated the late great singers of Pakistan, Pakistan did not reciprocate.
“I will not accept formality, we organised huge functions for Nusrat [Fateh Ali Khan] and Mehdi Hassan, there was no function for Lata Mangeshkar in your country.”
He further added: “The truth is that blaming each other is not going to work. We need to reduce tensions in the region. We’re from Mumbai, we saw how our city was attacked. Those people weren’t from Norway, were they? Nor did they come from Egypt. They are still roaming around in your country. If these complaints are in a Hindustani’s heart, you shouldn’t take offence.”
While several celebrities and nationals took offence, the PPP leader said that Akhtar should be been asked to return.
Faruqui commented on a picture shared by renowned entertainment journalist Maliha Rehman. “Seriously, he should have been asked to politely go back to the land of butcher Modi.”
Pakistanis were not only offended by what Akhtar said at the festival they were more irked by his interview with an Indian media platform.
“There was a Q&A session where everyone was asking very friendly, warm questions but then one lady stood up and asked we have such admiration for your country… but perhaps you Indians don’t have this kind of respect for us…and you don’t show that warmth that we show to you,” he was quoted as saying during that interview.
He went on to say that the ball was then in his court, “the people who burnt my city, Bombay, were not from Norway or Egypt for sure they are still moving about freely without any repercussions so if Indians have some hurt or some anger in their hearts you have to understand.
“I said that was not a big deal — I don’t know people are thinking that I’ve done some brave act — what is important and has to be noted [is] that when I said this the whole hall clapped. […] What is important is that the hall full of Pakistani people clapped after that, they agreed with me.”
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