A few sane voices on the other side of the border fade after the Pulwama incident
KARACHI: Pakistan-India relations have almost always been hostile. Perhaps, ever since the two countries split apart, the animosity between them has only risen.
There were perhaps a few sane voices too. In India, some of these voices often came from Bollywood as it focused to keep artistes away from politics in attempts to bring the two countries closer through shared art. But today these sane voices on the other side of the border have only faded to become one of war-mongering. With the Pulwama incident in India-occupied Kashmir that killed 44 Indian paramilitary troops on February 14, a new-found hatred towards Pakistan has been unleashed by Bollywood stars such as Javed Akhter and Kangana Ranaut.
Considering the significant influence celebrities have, such blatant hatred will only lead to more hatred. On the other hand, celebrities in Pakistan have restrained from using hate speech against India and have only sympathised with the families of the CRP personnel who were killed in the tragic incident. Perhaps Bollywood celebrities should also learn a thing or two from stars in Pakistan and plead for peace than war.
Natasha Jehangir
Published in The Express Tribune, February 21st, 2019.
Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.
