“It’s not the people — it’s the governments and these extreme voices poisoning minds,” Ansari
Pakistani actress Bushra Ansari has criticised Indian lyricist Javed Akhtar, without naming him directly, over his recent comments accusing Pakistan of involvement in the April 22 attack in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), which left 26 dead.
While on a fundraising tour across Germany and Switzerland, Bushra Ansari responded via a video message posted online.
The veteran television and film actor said Indian public figures should refrain from using inflammatory language without evidence.
“What drama are you playing, India?” Bushra Ansari said in the video. “First, look at your poor policies. You gave visas to women married in India for 40 years, and now you’re pushing them out.”
Referring to Javed Akhtar’s alleged past difficulties living in Mumbai, she added: “Our writer, he needs an excuse. He didn’t get any house on rent in Bombay. For his relevance, he can speak anything he wants…What are you saying? Have shame. You have a few hours to live, and on top of that, such nonsense you are saying.”
She suggested that Javed Akhtar should stay quiet like Naseeruddin Shah.
She also criticised Indian media personalities and former military officials, including television host Arnab Goswami and a retired Indian Army officer, calling them “venomous voices” contributing to regional division.
In her message, Bushra Ansari added that not all Indians share the same hostility, recounting a recent meeting with an Indian woman who expressed warmth towards her. “It’s not the people — it’s the governments and these extreme voices poisoning minds,” she said.
Her remarks were widely shared by Pakistani media outlets and social media users, with many praising her for “standing up for Pakistan” and “giving a reality check” to Javed Akhtar.
Photo: ScreenGrab
Javed Akhtar made his controversial comments during an event in Maharashtra, where he urged India’s central government to “take a solid step” against Pakistan. “A few crackers on the border will not work,” he said, calling for a harsher response to the attack.
Javed Akhtar also targeted Pakistan’s military leadership, “They should be given a befitting reply so they remember,” he told the audience.
Pakistan has denied any involvement in the Pahalgam attack, which targeted tourists in the region, and has called for a neutral international investigation into the incident.
Meanwhile several reports from organisations such as the US State Department, Brill, the Association for Asian Studies, the Council on Foreign Relations, and India Hate Lab indicate a rise in religious intolerance in India under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government, with a notable increase in hate speech incidents targeting minorities in recent years.
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