Writer-lyricist Javed Akhtar, who was in Lahore to attend a festival organised in memory of renowned Urdu poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz, reminded Pakistan that the 26/11 attackers were from their country. “You shouldn’t be offended if Indians complain about this," he told the audience.
Akhtar’s response came when a person at the Faiz Festival 2023 asked the writer-lyricist to take with him a message of peace, and to tell Indians that Pakistan is ‘a positive, friendly and loving country’.
“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),” Akhtar was quoted as saying by The Print.
'We are the people of Bombay, we saw how the attack took place, those people had not come from Norway, nor had they come from Egypt, they are still roaming in your country'. -Javed Akhtar at the Faiz Festival in Lahore pic.twitter.com/ZdopTEi6XO
— ADV. ASHUTOSH J. DUBEY 🇮🇳 (@AdvAshutoshBJP) February 21, 2023
He further told Pakistan that Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Mehdi Hasan were cult figures in India but Pakistan never hosted a Lata Mangeshkar show.
“Mehdi Hassan was a cult figure in India. When he visited India, Shabana (Azmi) hosted it, I wrote for the event which was graced by the likes of Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle. When Faiz sahab visited, it seemed like an authority was visiting…it was broadcast all over. Have you ever seen Sahir (Ludhianvi), Kaifi (Azmi) or (Ali) Sardar Jafri’s interviews on PTV? It was shown in India, it happened there… So the communication blockade is from both sides and perhaps more from your side,” he said.
In one of the most horrific terrorist attacks in the country’s history, 166 people were killed and over 300 injured as 10 heavily-armed terrorists from Pakistan created mayhem in Mumbai on November 26, 2008.
Nine Pakistani terrorists were killed by the Indian security forces. Ajmal Kasab was the only terrorist who was captured alive. He was hanged four years later on November 21, 2012 after a trial.
During the visit, Akhtar was also hosted by Pakistani actor-singer Ali Zafar at a private gathering in Lahore. A video of the jam session, surfaced on the internet, shows Zafar crooning Zindagi Aa Raha Hoon Main, a Bollywood song sung by Kishore Kumar and written by Akhtar in 1984 for the film Mashaal.
It was an honour to host him. I have always believed art & music transcends boundaries and is the best way to bring people together. Love is the ONLY way to peace. Thank you @Javedakhtarjadu sahab for gracing us with your presence. Thank you Faiz sahab for keeping us connected. https://t.co/08lnMT2b6o— Ali Zafar (@AliZafarsays) February 20, 2023
Faiz Festival was a three-day event scheduled for February 17 to February 19.
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