When I came back to India [from Pakistan], I felt as if I had won the third world war: Javed Akhtar

Indian playwright Javed Akhtar's recent statements are once again becoming a trending topic on Twitter. Earlier this week, the popular poet appeared at the ABP India Summit 2023 for a talk, where he discussed Pakistan and his controversial remarks at the 7th Faiz Festival held in Lahore last month.

Taking the chance, the host, renowned author Chetan Bhagat, asked Akhtar a question, "Considering Pakistan's economy is in shambles, and their reserves are empty, did you witness the impact of the rising inflation there?" In response to this, the Khel screenwriter pointed out how Pakistan appears to have 'certain restrictions' that keep 'poverty' away from sight.

"Yes. The fact is that in India, poverty is right in front of us, and are situated right next to the billionaires. But I feel like in Pakistan certain restrictions keep their poverty-ridden people far away, where only the needy ones are allowed to reside," he said. "I really don't know. You definitely don't see them on the streets like in Mumbai. I have visited Pakistan three times, and it is surprising how they have managed to hide their slums. You won't even find homeless people on the streets. I'm sure they have developed a system to cater to them because it's apparent they do have poor people."

During the discussion, Akhtar also recalled the 7th Faiz Festival and his comment which many Pakistanis, including celebrities, took as an offence. "In the Q&A session, the people were asking really friendly and warm questions and it was going pretty well until somebody highlighted how Indians only think of Pakistanis as terrorists and don't treat them well. There was little room left for me to move on without giving a proper answer to her, which I did. In the most polite manner possible, I reminded her [the attendee] of all her public figures that received great hospitality from us."

He then opined how he doesn't "think Pakistanis are terrorists," but being a Mumbai resident he "did feel strongly about that incident" and saw no harm in addressing his sentiments.

Akhtar also detailed the aftermath of his response at the 7th Faiz Festival. He said, "It became a huge deal, it was almost embarrassing for me. When I came back to India [from Pakistan], I felt as if I had won the third world war. I stopped picking up calls due to the reactions in the media. I mean, what was so wrong with what I said anyways? It was expected of me to say this much at least. Should I have just stayed quiet?"

Before finishing the conversation, the Silsila lyricist insisted all Pakistanis should not be criticised for the country's actions. "We always view a nation's citizens through its policies, but unfortunately, that's not true. There is a huge segment of people in Pakistan that desire to keep a good relationship with India and that's understandable. Ï had such a heartwarming welcome from several young people and students in Pakistan, it was unbelievable, so it's not fair to judge everyone through the same lens," he concluded.

Have something to add to the story? Share it in the comments below.