Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) leader Sanjay Raut on Thursday said all political leaders must congratulate noted lyricist and poet Javed Akhtar for criticising Pakistan on its own soil for its role in fomenting terror activities in India.
Talking to reporters, Raut said what Akhtar has done requires immense courage.
The perpetrators of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks are still roaming freely in Pakistan and Pakistanis should not feel offended when India talks about the 2008 carnage, Akhtar recently said in Lahore.
“PM Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat need to congratulate Akhtar for his brave stand,” Raut said.
Also Read | Perpetrators of 26/11 Mumbai attacks roam freely in Pakistan, says Javed Akhtar at Lahore event
After the surgical strike, India’s 2016 operation against terror launch pads across the Line of Control, BJP leaders burst crackers as if Pakistan was wiped out from the world map, Raut charged.
“Our party has congratulated Akhtar for his stand. The entire country needs to congratulate him. It is another thing to threaten Pakistan sitting here,” he said.
The candid remarks by Akhtar at the Lahore event in memory of celebrated Urdu poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz came in response to a member of the audience who told the film personality to take with him a message of peace and tell Indians that Pakistan is “a positive, friendly and loving country”.
“We should not blame each other. It will solve nothing. The atmosphere is tense, that should be doused,” the 78-year-old lyricist said.
“We are people from Mumbai, we have seen the attack on our city. They (attackers) did not come from Norway or Egypt. They are still roaming freely in your country. So if there is a grievance in the heart of a Hindustani, you should not feel offended,” Akhtar said.
Akhtar also told the gathering that even though Pakistani artists like Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Mehdi Hasan have been warmly welcomed in India, Pakistan has never held a single show of Lata Mangeshkar.
On November 26, 2008, 10 Pakistani terrorists belonging to Hafiz Saeed-led Lashkar-e-Taiba arrived via sea and opened fire, killing 166 people, including 18 security personnel, and injuring scores during a 60-hour siege in Mumbai.
The attacks drew widespread global condemnation. Nine Pakistani terrorists were killed by the Indian security forces. Ajmal Kasab was the only terrorist who was captured alive. He was hanged four years later on November 21, 2012. India has been accusing Pakistan of letting the key conspirators and planners of the 26/11 attacks remain protected and unpunished there.