Amid the ongoing tension between India and Pakistan, renowned Bollywood lyricist Javed Akhtar has openly criticized Pakistan’s Army Chief, General Asim Munir, for his recent remarks. Akhtar declared Munir’s speech as highly insensitive as it disparaged Hindus. Moreover, he reminded Pakistan of its past cowardice when they refused to retrieve the bodies of their soldiers after the Kargil war.
Prior to the Pahalgam attack, General Munir addressed a speech saying, 'Our ancestors believed we are different from Hindus in every aspect of life. Our religion is different, our customs are different, our traditions are different, our thoughts are different, our ambitions are different.'
Javed Akhtar Speaks Out
Reacting strongly to General Munir's provocative speech, Javed Akhtar shared his views in an interview with prominent lawyer Kapil Sibal. Akhtar stated that India does not aim to defame Pakistani civilians. He highlighted, ‘No country is homogenous. Every citizen is not the same. A government's shortcomings affect its citizens first. Our issue is solely with the government, military, and extremists. Our sympathy lies with the innocent people suffering due to this.'
You Lack Understanding - Javed Akhtar
Criticizing Munir's speech targeting Hindus, Javed Akhtar remarked, 'I watched his speech on YouTube. He appeared excessively insensitive. If you find us at fault, feel free to criticize Indians, but why are you insulting Hindus? Are you unaware that Pakistan also has a Hindu population? Shouldn't you respect your own people? What sort of individual are you? What are you conveying? You have no understanding.'
Further, Javed Akhtar commented, 'One of their missiles is named Abdali. Abdali attacked Muslims! Is he your hero? What about the people born on your soil? Are you celebrating an invader? Do you have any sense of history? Their problem is that their history and geography do not align. The communities they claim to belong to want nothing to do with them. Numerous Arab nations have suspended visas for Pakistanis. Akhtar illustrated this as similar to a boy on Delhi's streets claiming he knows Shah Rukh Khan. My friend, Shah Rukh Khan does not know who you are! This is their situation.'
Recalling the Days of the Kargil War
Javed Akhtar recollected the Kargil war days to highlight the lack of respect shown by the Pakistani military towards their own people. He stated, 'There is a truth that Pakistanis need to confront. When one of our soldiers passes, we salute them, but when Pakistani soldiers perished in Kargil, they didn’t claim their bodies. It was the Indians who ensured proper burials. One of our top-ranking officers took photographs of their martyr soldiers, created an album, and presented it to the Pakistanis. Initially, they refused to accept it. Later, they accepted it unofficially.'
