Javed Akhtar agreed with the ban of Pakistani artists: Said- How long will this unilateral work last, till date Lata Mangeshkar did not even have a performance in Pakistan.

Javed Akhtar has recently said on the ban on Pakistani artists that whatever happened in the present time should not be questioned whether they are okay to ban or not. Because now friendly feeling for Pakistan is completely over. Along with this, he has said that it is completely unilateral to give Pakistani artists a chance to work in India as Lata Mangeshkar has not been allowed to have a performance in Pakistan till date. They have completely denied the way this unilateral work.

Javed Akhtar has recently said in an interview to PTI, ‘The question should be whether we should allow Pakistani artists to work here. There are two answers to this and both are logical. This has always been a unilateral thing. Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan came to India, Mehndi Hasan came to India, Ghulam Ali came to India, Noor came to India. He was a great performance. Faiz Ahmed Faiz also came, he was a subcontinent daughter. I would not call him Pakistani Poet. He lived in Pakistan, because he was born there, but he was a power of love and peace. When Atal Bihari Bajpayee was the Prime Minister, he came to India, then he was given the honor like State Head. Even the government had given him great respect. But I regret that nothing was done from there. I have no complaint with the people of Pakistan.

Javed Akhtar has further said, ‘The big poets of Pakistan have written songs for Lata Mangeshkar. She was the most popular singer of India and Pakistan in the 60s-70s. But till date, he has never had a single performance in Pakistan. I do not complain to Pakistani people. The people there liked him, but his path was stopped. The system interrupted, which I can never understand. This is one -sided traffic, somewhere we are tired of this that this thing is not right. We do not get response from your side. How long will it last?

He further said, ‘The second point of view is also valid. That is, if we ban Pakistani artists with a solid logic, then whom are we happy, the army and fundamentalists. They want to build a high wall between India and Pakistan, so that the Pakistani cannot see how many freedom and privileges they have, which they enjoy. They want the distance, this suits them. Which is our affection that we have to work with a Pakistani artist, it does not suit them. Because then those artists must go back and tell about the Indian Society in Pakistan that they are very happy. So are we making them happy, are we helping them by banning them. After what has happened recently, it should not be a topic. There is no friendly feeling for them. This is not even time to think about it now.

Let us tell you that after the terrorist attack in Pahalgam on 22 April, India has completely banned Pakistani artists working in India. This is the reason why Fawad Khan’s comeback film Abir Gulal will no longer be released in India. The film Federation has also announced that working with Pakistani artists will now be considered treason.