Artists hope for peace amid Indo-Pak tensions

Mahira Khan, Mawra Hocane and Hamza Ali Abbasi, amongst others condemn war and all those supporting it


Entertainment Desk February 27, 2019
PHOTO: FILE

While tensions between India and Pakistan escalate, most people on this side of the border at least are opposing war and hoping that better sense will prevail.

Local celebrities have also, finally, come forth with their stances on the matter. The likes of Mahira Khan, Hamza Ali Abbasi, Fahad Mustafa and many others have denounced the ongoing crisis publicly and are hoping things go back to normal as soon as possible.

"There is nothing uglier, nothing more ignorant than cheering for war. May better sense prevail... Pakistan Zindabad!" tweeted Khan, who has previously starred in Bollywood film Raees with Indian superstar Shah Rukh Khan.



Her tweet was a response to a thread on the Twitter account of Fatima Bhutto, author and grand-daughter of former Pakistani Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.



Indian media started thumping its chest soon after Delhi claimed that Indian Air Force (IAF) jets had struck what they deemed the biggest training camp of the Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) militant group in Balakot, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, in a pre-dawn air strike on Tuesday. The jets reportedly flattened the compound and killed 350 inhabitants.

In response to the IAF strike, Prime Minister Imran Khan directed the Pakistani citizens and armed forces to "remain prepared for all eventualities."

But actor Mawra Hocane, who was seen in Bollywood film Sanam Teri Kasam, feels this is the time to put humanity first. "It is time we understand this as humans. The media needs to take charge and stop being provocative. It's our duty to inculcate peace and use our words for better; not worse. Praying for peace always," she posted.



Mustafa also hoped for peace, saying, "War does not determine who is right...Only who is left. Say no to war."



Pakistani-Canadian comedian Zaid Ali T also called out everyone spreading hate and pledging war. "If there is a person that commits an act of terror, go after THAT person. Stop going after his religion, culture, ethnicity, or race. No religion in this world promotes war or hate. Every religion is peaceful, but unfortunately, some people do not understand that," he tweeted.



"Anyone who is encouraging war between Pakistan and India should be taken out of their house and forced to fight the war themselves. Tweet karna bohat asaan hai. But for once, think of the all the soldiers that die unnecessarily because of this."



While most were wishing for peace, there were some stars who reacted strongly. Abbasi, for instance, posted, "Balakot, well done, India! Much improvement from the fake 'surgical strike' claim. This time, yes IAF aircraft crossed LOC four to six miles at 2:55 am and had to retreat at 2.59 a.m. due to PAF (Pakistan Air Force) scrambling, dropping the load on the way, martyring our trees. But now, Pakistan must retaliate."



He went on, "Now Indian masses are cheering about killing more than 350 terrorists in Pakistan. 350+ dead and no video, even mobile video/pictures, no satellite pictures, funerals, nothing! No wonder Pakistan is inviting all ambassadors, defence attachés, even Indians to come to the location to see."



"In more than a decade, even USA in Afghanistan couldn't kill 350+ jihadis in one go," the Parwaaz Hai Junoon star added. "Kind of gives you an idea about what Indians think a "terrorist camp" is...Basically, hundreds of terrorists just chilling and hanging out waiting to be massacred. Wow! *Slow Clap*"



Actor Ahmed Ali Butt said, "Make no mistake, Pakistan comes first. I stand with my nation, my PM, my people and my country and anyone who is a threat to us will face our wrath. I'm all for peace but if your dealing with blind rage and stupidity, then a hard slap on their face is the answer."



Taking a dig at a famous dialogue from Karan Johar's film My Name Is Khan, Veena Malik said, "My Name is tree...And I'm not a terrorist."



PAF, on Wednesday, struck Indian targets across the LOC from within Pakistani airspace, said a statement from the Foreign Office (FO).

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