Indian lyricist Javed Akhtar in an interview with the Indian TV channel NDTV said that the audience in Pakistan clapped at his statements on Mumbai Attack.
“They all clapped. They agreed with me. There are many people who admire India, and want to have a relationship with us,” said Javed Akhtar in an interview with NDTV.
“We tend to think of countries as a monolith. That is not the case. How do we connect with millions of people who want to connect with India,” he added.
Asked if this is then the right time to engage in talks, Mr. Akhtar said, “I don’t have that kind of caliber”(to respond to this query)”.
“People who are in power, who are holding that position, understand what is happening, what is the situation how to go about it. Pakistan Army, Pakistani people, and Pakistani establishment are not on the same page,” he added.
He was asked if a middle ground is needed for talks between the two countries, and he said: “People who run the country know better. My information is little. We in India have very limited information about Pak people. Same is the case with them”.
Javed Akhtar had accused Pakistan of harboring terrorism in India during the Faiz Festival in Lahore. Akhtar was visiting Pakistan for Faiz Festival after five years.
Responding to a question, he recalled the Mumbai Attack and said that the terrorists of the Mumbai Attack are roaming freely in Pakistan. His statements are reverberating in India. Indian media and internet users are praising Javed Akhtar for his outburst against Pakistan while sitting in the same country.
Javed Akhtar said, “We saw how Mumbai was attacked… They (the terrorists) are still roaming freely in your country.” He also said that Pakistan never held any event for Lata Mangeshkar despite India organizing big events for Pakistani artists Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Mehdi Hasan.
Read more: Javed Akhtar accuses Pakistan of terrorism in India in Lahore event
The man in the audience had reportedly asked if he will tell the people of India that the people of Pakistan are good after returning to his country. To which he said, “Let us not blame each other. That won’t solve the issues. We saw how Mumbai was attacked. They (terrorists) came neither from Norway nor from Egypt. They are still roaming freely in your country. Indians have complained against it.”