(Image source from: StarsUnfolded)
Amid rising criticism against Indian American actress Priyanka Chopra Jonas over her support to Indian government’s decision to revoke special status to Jammu and Kashmir, eminent lyricist and poet Javed Akhtar has said being an Indian citizen, the views of actor Priyanka Chopra supporting the Center’s recent decision on Kashmir will "obviously be an Indian point of view".
Akhtar’s comments came while he was referring to Pakistani minister's demand for the removal of Chopra as UN Goodwill Ambassador for Peace over her support to the center’s decision.
"If her comments have upset the Pakistani establishment, they can do whatever they wish," Akhtar told the reporters on the sidelines of a literary event here Wednesday night.
The tensions between India and Pakistan increased after India revoked the provisions of Article 370 of the Indian Constitution to withdraw Jammu and Kashmir's special status and bifurcated the state into two Union Territories.
In a letter, addressed to UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta H Fore, Pakistan's Human Rights Minister Shireen Mazari had said the actor supports the Indian government's policies on Kashmir. She further alleged that Chopra is in favor of a "nuclear war" between India and Pakistan.
"Ms Chopra has publicly endorsed this Indian government position and also supported the nuclear threat issued to Pakistan by the Indian Defence Minister. All this goes completely against the principles of peace and goodwill that Ms Chopra is supposed to uphold as an UN Goodwill Ambassador for Peace," Mazari wrote in the letter.
Read: Pak Demands UN to Remove Priyanka Chopra as Goodwill ambassador
Speaking about the actor, Akhtar said, "I know Priyanka Chopra personally. She is a cultured, decent and educated person and the fact remains she is an Indian.
"If there is some kind of a controversy and difference in point of view between an average Indian citizen (like Priyanka Chopra) and the Pakistani establishment, obviously her point of view will be an Indian point of view."
(Image source from: India Today)
To another question, Akhtar said, while he is trolled almost every day on social media, "for the last two-three days there are a lot of hate messages because I have made my comment and aired my point of view on Imran Khan's tweet and some people are upset with me." He said when "religious bigots" of both communities abuse him, he is convinced that what he says is right.
"The day one of them will stop abusing me, I will wonder what is wrong with me," Akhtar commented.
He had recently tweeted, "Imraan saheb. I will be ungrateful if I dont show my gratitude for your concern about the Indian minorities. I cant imagine, if you care so much for others how compassionate n protective you must be towards the Hindus, Christians , Ahmadiyas, Mohajir n Blochs of your own country."
As his tweet invited a vicious attack on the micro-blogging site on Wednesday, Akhtar had replied, " ... I am a secular rationalist Nationalist proud Indian who is inconvenient to both Hindu and Muslim communalists."
Asked to comment on the present situation in the Kashmir Valley, Akhtar said, "I am not aware what is going on. As a matter of fact most of us don't know because there is hardly any information available. We are yet to get details.
"We know that there was some curfew, there were some restrictions, so on and so forth," he said.
By Sowmya Sangam
