Chandigarh, February 15,2019: Javed Akhtar and Shabana Azmi have cancelled their upcoming trip to Pakistan in backdrop of Pulwama terror attack that claimed the lives of 44 CRPF personnel.
The couple was scheduled to attend poet Kaifi Azmi's birth centenary celebrations in Karachi. Both took it to twitter to inform about cancellation of their plan.
"Karachi art council had invited. Shabana and me for a two day lit conference about Kaifi Azmi and his poetry. We have canceled that. In 1965 during the Indo Pak war Kaifi saheb had written a poem. AUR PHIR KRISHAN NE ARJUN SE KAHA," Akhtar wrote on Twitter.
Responding to one of the comments on his tweet, Akhtar wrote, "Don't get upset with me. Talk to those who are running your country, who are protecting and nurturing terrorists like Masood Azhar. Those who had sent Qasab to my city. If you are getting a terrible reputation they are responsible no one else."
"@Javedakhtarjadu and I were invited for a 2 day event celebrating Kaifi’s Centenary and were truly looking forward to it. I appreciate that our hosts the Karachi Arts Council mutually agreed to cancel the event at the nth hour in the wake of Pulwama attack",Azmi wrote.
Expressing her anguish, Shabana Azmi tweeted, "I am filled with pain and grief and all else ..by the dastardly #Pulwama attack . For the 1st time in all these years I feel weakened in my belief that people to people contact can force the Establishment to do the right thing.We will need to call halt to cultural exchange."
She further wrote, #Pulwama attack There is no way we can carry on with cultural exchanges between India and Pakistan even as our martyrs are laying down their lives for us. I stand in solidarity with the grieving families.
However, she added in the twitter handle,"But lets not lose sight of d fact dat there is a difference between d Pakistani Establishment n d people of Pakistan n vice versa. On both sides of d border stand sisters n brothers divided by circumstances with which they had nothing 2 do".