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Veteran composer Javed Akhtar has reacted to the conversation surrounding his recent comment that 26/11 attackers are roaming free in Pakistan. He made the remarks at Lahore’s Faiz festival.
Speaking to NDTV, he said, “They all clapped. They agreed with me. There are many people who admire India, want to have a relationship with us.” He added, “We tend to think of countries as monolith. That is not the case. How do we connect with millions of people who want to connect with India.” When asked if this was the time for the country to engage in talks, he said, “I don’t have that kind of calibre (to respond to this query). People who are in power, who are holding that position, understand what is happening, what is the situation how to go about it. Pakistan Army, Pakistani people, Pakistani establishment are not on the same page.”
Akhtar was in Pakistan to attend a festival organised in memory of renowned Urdu poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz. In the video that went viral on social media, Akhtar had responded to someone in the audience, who told him to take with a ‘message of peace’ and to tell Indians that Pakistan is ‘a positive, friendly and loving country’, he said answered that there is a ‘communication blockade’ between the two nations.
The person asked, “You have visited Pakistan many times…When you go back do you tell your people that these are good people, they aren’t just bombing us but also greeting us with garlands and love?” a person asked.
Akhtar responded, “Let us not blame each other. That won’t solve issues. Jo garam hai fiza, woh kam honi chahiye. Hum toh Bambaiye log hain. Hamne dekha wahan kaise hamla hua tha. Wo log Norway se toh nahi aaye the naa Egypt se aaye the, wo log abhi bhi aapke mulk me ghum rahe hain. Toh ye shikayat agar Hindustani ke dil me ho toh aapko bura nahi manna chahiye (The atmosphere needs to cool down. I am from Bombay and all of us witnessed the attack on Bombay. The attackers weren’t from Norway, or from Egypt. They are still present in your country, so you should not be offended if an Indian complains about this).” He also reminded the audience that that even though Pakistani artists such as Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Mehdi Hasan have been welcomed with open arms in India, Pakistan has never hosted a Lata Mangeshkar show.
The 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, also known as the 26/11 attacks, resulted in the deaths of 175 people, including the attackers. Hundreds were also wounded when terrorists conducted a series of orchestrated attacks across popular locations in Mumbai.
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