"Jab yaha nahi darte to waha kya darenge": Javed Akhtar on 26/11 controversial comments in Pakistan

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• Feb 25, 2023 | Dhupali Das

Javed Akhtar recently attended a festival in Lahore honouring writer Faiz Ahmed Faiz, where he was told that Indians believe that all Pakistanis are...

Digital Desk: Javed Akhtar, who is facing criticism from Pakistani celebrities as well as praises from his Indian counterparts for his latest comment at an event, has now opened up about whether he was scared of speaking his mind there. Notably, Javed is known for being an outspoken person who never backs down from a controversial topic.

Javed Akhtar recently attended a festival in Lahore honouring writer Faiz Ahmed Faiz, where he was told that Indians believe that all Pakistanis are terrorists. In a sharp response, Javed stated that Pakistan is still home to the terrorists who carried out the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai. Since then, he has been at the centre of a controversy, with Pakistani celebrities criticising him and Indian politicians and celebrities praising him for the statement.

Speaking at an ABP event, Javed reiterated his previous statement and added, "It became too huge; I feel embarrassed, and I feel like I shouldn't go (for such events). Yaha aya to laga pata nahi third World War jeet ke aya hoon (as if I won the third world war). The people and the media have so many reactions. I was embarrrased aisa kya keh diya? Itni baat to kehni padegi, chup rahein kya (we have to say as much, should we just shut up)?"

He said he got messages informing him that people in Pakistan were asking him how he got a visa, and added that he may only recall the place now.  When asked if he felt threatened to express his views while seating in Lahore at an event taking place in a room full of Pakistanis, Javed replied, "Is tarah ki baatein, jo controversial hain...jis mulk pe paida hue, jeete hain aur marenge waha karte rehte hain to dusre mulk me do din jana waha kya dar tha? Jab yaha nahi darte to waha kya darenge (I make such controversial comments in the country where I wa born and will die, why would I be scared in a country I was visiting for two days? I am not scared here, why would I be scared there)?"

Javed was speaking at a literary festival in Pakistan when he claimed that as witnesses to the horrors of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, it is irrational for Indians to ignore the fact that the culprits of those crimes live freely in Pakistan.