Pakistani singer and actor Ali Zafar found himself in hot water with the Indian public, after he posted a tweet supporting Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s speech on the Pulwama attack on Tuesday, 19 February.
Sharing the video of Khan’s speech on Twitter, Zafar asked his followers to “listen (to it) with an open heart and mind devoid of ego”.
“Listen with an open heart and a mind devoid of ego, bias or hatred. If (you) can’t, listen again after a few days in a moment of peace.”Ali Zafar
He also followed this up with another tweet, where he said: “What a speech!”
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan had, earlier in the day, denied Pakistan’s hand in the Pulwama attack, where 40 CRPF jawans were killed. He had said that Pakistan would act against the perpetrators of the attack if India shares “actionable intelligence”.
Zafar’s tweet supporting Khan’s speech, was not well-received by many of his followers from India. Angry responses to his tweet - most of which asked him to never work in India again, or to return to visit India - filled the comment sections for the same.
Zafar’s speech comes after the All Indian Cine Workers Association (AICWA) announced a ban on Pakistani actors and artists working in the Indian film industry, and warned of “strong action” against anyone found working with talent from Pakistan.
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