Denied for being a Kashmiri Pandit, and speaking against terrorism

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 5^th 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

 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