In the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack, the debate over Pakistani artistes working in India has reignited. When asked at a recent event in Delhi whether Pakistani artistes should be allowed to work in India, Javed Akhtar said, “This could be thought about in better times, and hopefully, after some years some sense will prevail. And there’ll be a better attitude towards India from the establishment of Pakistan. And then this can be considered. But at the moment, this question should not be asked. Not possible.”

Discussing the great reception Indians have always given Pakistani artistes, Akhtar referred to Faiz Ahmed Faiz. “He was the poet of the subcontinent, a poet of peace and love. When he came to India, during Mr Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s Prime Ministership, he was treated like a state head. The kind of respect he was given by the government and the way they looked after him and so on, I’m afraid, this has never been reciprocated. In the 60s and 70s, Lata Mangeshkar was, hands down, the most popular Indian in Pakistan. But why was there not a single performance of hers in Pakistan? We have received their artiste with open arms but it was never reciprocated by the establishment.” he said. PTI

Talking about a ban on artistes, he added, “If we block Pakistani artistes in India, who are we pleasing in Pakistan – the army and the fundamentalists. This is what they want – a tall wall between the countries so the Pakistani should not be able to see what kind of freedom, what kind of privilege every citizen of India enjoys. They want the distance because that suits them. This kind of bonhomie that we are working with Pakistanis doesn’t suit them at all.”