Pak award for Dilip Kumar confusing8217;

AUGUST 17: Bollywood thespian Dilip Kumar's decision to accept the highest civilian award of Pakistan, Nishan-E-Imtiaz, has drawn widesprea...

AUGUST 17: Bollywood thespian Dilip Kumar8217;s decision to accept the highest civilian award of Pakistan, Nishan-E-Imtiaz, has drawn widespread protests from film-makers and political outfits in Mumbai.

The film industry appears to have been annoyed at the thespian8217;s acceptance of the award. Their main grouse against the Pakistani government has been the ban on performances by Indian artistes for more than 30 years now. Some of them questioned the criteria applied by Pakistan8217;s administration while deciding on the matter. 8220;I8217;m confused. What their criterion is, is something beyond me,8221; lyricist Javed Akhtar told Express Newsline. He recalled the time when he recorded an album with Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan which was a hit in India, but faced problems from the Pakistani government for clearance.

K D Shourie, general secretary, Film Makers Combine, raised doubts about the legitimacy of Pakistan to give its highest civilian award to an actor whose films it does not permit to be screened. 8220;Professional propriety demands that Dilip saab refuse the award, though by accepting it he won8217;t be violating any of our resolutions,8221; he said.

On the political front, Panun Kashmir, an organisation of Kashmiri Pandits, today said Hindus in Kashmir would be hurt if Dilip Kumar accepted the award. 8220;We feel he should accept the award only after getting a commitment from the Pakistan government that it will stop funding Kashmiri terrorists,8221; Ashok Pandit, a spokesman for the organisation said.

Panun Kashmir feels that though art knows no boundaries, an artist is a human being first and for any person, the country8217;s safety should hold paramount importance. 8220;If we Indians protest, then as an Indian he should not take the award,8221; Pandit added. He claimed the actor8217;s decision had evoked a strong reaction from the refugee tents housing Kashmiri Pandits.

The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, the student wing of BJP, feels the award is the culmination of an old, mutually profitable relationship between Dilip Kumar and the country he was born in. 8220;His visits to Pakistan have been widely covered by the media, so the award does not come as a surprise, though it is improper on his part to accept it,8221; said secretary Mumbai of the Parishad, Dhiraj Borikar. He added ABVP would request the actor not to accept the award.

But Dilip Kumar refused to be drawn into a debate. 8220;It is utter nonsense,8221; he said, refuting allegations that appeared in a section of the press today and condemning protests. He opined, 8220;This should be seen as a means of social and cultural communication,8221; and reiterated he would accept the award.