Pakistan has embarrassed itself by denying visa to Bollywood actor
Anupam Kher. Anupam had to visit there to attend the Literature Festival being
organized in Karachi on 5th February. Kher said on Tuesday that as I
speak in favour of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and raise the voice of
Kashmiri Pandits, so Pakistan may have denied visa. Kher said that all the 18
persons who were to attend the festival except me were granted visa. I am shocked
over this treatment of Pakistan. While
the Pakistani High Commission at New Delhi said that Kher didn’t even apply for
the visa. Kher reacted on this saying that the High Commission is lying. I’ll
raise this issue before the Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The other
17 persons granted visa includes senior congress leader Salman Khursheed, reporter Barkha Datt, actress Nandita Das. LGBT activist Laxminarain Tripathi. By the way it’s not the first time when Pakistan has denied Anupam the visa. Pakistan has twice earlier denied visa to Anupam Kher. So this is the third time. Anupam said, I don’t know why I was denied visa? Was It
17 persons granted visa includes senior congress leader Salman Khursheed, reporter Barkha Datt, actress Nandita Das. LGBT activist Laxminarain Tripathi. By the way it’s not the first time when Pakistan has denied Anupam the visa. Pakistan has twice earlier denied visa to Anupam Kher. So this is the third time. Anupam said, I don’t know why I was denied visa? Was It
denied because I am a
Kashmiri Pandit or due to my patriotism? Is it for the reason that I don’t
visit there and don’t run down my
nation?or is it that I don’t favour the
terrorists? There may be a million reasons. After denying visa to Anupam Kher
for Karachi Festival, the clarification from Pak High Commission seems to be like
being caught red-handed. Artists, intellectuals and cultural persons of India
and Pakistan use to visit each other’s nation. But perhaps this has happened
for the first time when any Indian artist has been denied visa by Pakistan.
Anupam Kher is not only famous actor of India but also of international level,
who has been awarded several national awards and recently he has also been
awarded with Padma Bhushan. Besides, he is a Kashmiri Pandit also and openly propogates
his ideas on social-political and cultural issues. He has been frank regarding
the terrorism and issue of Kashmiri Pandits, so why shouldn’t it be believed
that his visit to Pakistan was not admissible to such persons who want to keep
Kashmir live as an issue? It appears Pakistan fears that Anupam Kher may
vigorously take India’s side on terrorism and Kashmir issue there that could
have strong reactionsin Pakistan itself.
It also refreshes the question I’ve been raising time and again in
this very column as why we allow these Pakistani artists enter Bollywood with
such an open heart? How shameful is it that Pakistan has neither invited Lata
Mangeshkar nor Amitabh Bachchan ever to visit Pakistan? Is Shiv Sena wrong if
it opposes the concerts by Ghulam Ali? Be it an issue of visa or the terrorism,
Pakistan’s policy is clear. It doesn’t do whatever it dislikes. It is we who
visit there uninvited. What happened to Anupam Kher is not an insult to only an
artist, but also to his fans living in Pakistan.
-
Anil Narendra
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