Image Courtesy: News18

1979… exactly 40 years ago. That was when a Pakistani military dictator (allegedly) on American payroll, with the help of majoritarian Islamist groups – America had cold war to win, Islamists had to change the character of Pakistan for their theocratic state and scotch-sipping military generals had to make millions in dollars -, took Pakistan down that nightmarish world of war economy by hosting terrorists, first as America’s proxies and then as their own proxies… that was their route to being a failed state.

And now a whole new generation has grown up in that country, who knows how much of energy and time they have lost, how much blood, fear and suspicion have been spreading and how much of life and their country have been stolen away from them (ten times more than what India lost in these decades). And these people seem to control the common sense of the country now. Thanks to social media, they can express themselves, let the world know they exist and they matter… 

Dr. N. P. Ashley is Assistant Professor of English at St. Stephen’s College, Delhi. His areas of interest in research are youth culture, new historicism and performance studies.

The post Opinion: Pakistan paves the way for Peace in South Asia appeared first on SabrangIndia.

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West Bengal government has shifted 14 Pakistani prisoners, lodged in two correctional homes in the state, to separate barracks and “high-security” cells, amid soaring tension between India and its western neighbour, a senior official told the media. West Bengal is the first state to move on the issue of security after a 50 year old Pakistani was killed in a Rajasthan jail, by fellow inmates last week.

According to media reports, strict instructions have been issued to separate Pakistani inmates from others following the incident in Rajasthan jail. They have been shifted to high-security cells, where heavyweight prisoners, such as those arrested for American Center attack and Maoists have been staying,” the official of West Bengal Correctional Services said. A three-layered cordon has been set up for the security of the 14 prisoners, he said

Of the 14 inmates, four are lodged at Presidency Correctional Home in the city and the other 10 at Dum Dum Central Correctional Home, Kolkata.  Though most inmates enjoy a bonhomie, the triggered and politically motivated hate propaganda has made them vulnerable.

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Kartarpur: No one would have imagined that a message of peace and friendship would have arrived in such a way and anyone would hear the words that Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan said. Khan’s speech at the inauguration of the much talked about Kartarpur corridor has left many stunned. What could be the implications of this move?
 
The much-awaited Kartarpur corridor will connect Darbar Sahib in Pakistan’s Kartarpur, the final resting place of Sikh faith’s founder Guru Nanak Dev, with Dera Baba Nanak shrine in India’s Gurdaspur district and facilitate visa-free movement of Indian Sikh pilgrims who will have to just obtain a permit to visit Kartarpur.
 
Kartarpur Sahib in Pakistan is located across the river Ravi, about 4 km from the Dera Baba Nanak shrine. It was established in 1522 by Guru Nanak Dev who is believed to have spent 18 years here. The first Gurdwara, Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib, was built here, where Guru Nanak is said to have died.
 
The historic corridor and its inauguration, besides leaving the domestic Punjab politics stunned, has left many feeling carefully optimistic.
 
Imran Khan’s speech 
“Both countries are nuclear armed. We both have atomic weapons…It is madness for such countries to think (of a war). Only a foolish individual can think one can win a nuclear war,” he said. He said there are no winners in such a war, only survivors.

 
 
The past was a place to learn from and not to remain in, Khan said, adding that both sides have made mistakes in the past. “If France and Germany, which have killed millions of each other’s people, can today be part of the same union with open borders and enjoy trade, it is because their political leadership decided they don’t want to remain in the past.”
 
 “We have just one problem, Kashmir. If a man can walk on the moon, what problems are there that we cannot resolve? We only need determined leadership on both sides,” he said.
 
His comment immediately drew a rebuke from India’s external affairs ministry, which said it was unfortunate that Khan politicized a solemn religious occasion, and that Kashmir was an integral part of India.
 
Addressing pilgrims at the venue, Khan said, “The happiness I see in you today, if I were to explain to my Muslim brothers and sisters, is that imagine that you are standing 4 km outside Medina (a city in Saudi Arabia where the Prophet is buried) and cannot go in, and you are then given the chance to go. That is the happiness I see here.”
 
He assured the Sikh community that facilities at Kartarpur Sahib will be even better for the 550th birth celebrations for Guru Nanak Dev next year.
 
Khan made an extended appeal for peace between India and Pakistan and said that there was a desire for peace from all sections on the Pakistani side and India should not be sceptical. “When I used to visit India for conferences, I used to be told that the Pakistani army will never allow for peace to take hold between the two countries. So let me tell you today. The government of Pakistan, the army, the political parties and the people of Pakistan are all on the same page. I have said it before and I’ll say it again. If you (India) will take one step towards peace, we are willing to take two steps,” he said.
 
Union minister Badal also made an international reference when she repeated Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s evocation of the collapse of the Berlin wall. “If the Berlin wall could fall, so can the walls of hate between the two countries, if we make a new start in the name of Baba Nanak,” an emotional Badal said.
 
The Akalis, who are BJP’s partners in the state, are deeply grateful for the corridor and have thanked Pakistan.
 
None of this appeared to detain Khan, who laid down the political vision to achieve lasting peace in Pakistan in cricketing terms. “I played cricket for 21 years. And I encountered two kinds of players. There were those who were too scared to lose and played very safe. And then there were those who took calculated risks and led from the front. The latter were the kind that became champions. It’s similar in politics too. There are politicians who divide people with hate for votes. And then there are those who are in politics to do right for their people. They are not going by popular sentiment. That is the leadership we need,” Khan said.
 
Consistent with past speeches
It was surprising to see Khan talk about the poverty levels in both countries and mentioned the ‘subcontinent’ many times. It is no secret how much the subcontinent can achieve through peaceful borders and open trade, for Khan to pose this question to the India political leaders was unprecedented and historic. The last time someone from Pakistan really wanted better relations with India, he (Zulfikar Ali Bhutto) was killed by the Pakistan military.
 
He spoke about the stunted growth of children and providing jobs to the unemployed youth. He gave the example of China and how the country managed to bring ’70 crore people above the poverty line in the last 30 years,’ he said it was possible because of a visionary leadership at the centre.
 
His thoughts and ideas may seem news as the Kartarpur corridor news gains steam. He has remained consistent with his words in the past.
 
In this very old interview with Rajat Sharma in Aap Ki Adalat, he speaks about peace, friendship and brotherhood with India. This interview is presumably from a time when his party Tehreek-I-Insaaf was just formed.
 
“The people on both sides of the border are tired of this conflict. As Dr. Manmohan Singh said, there is something stopping the subcontinent from going forward. We have hardliners on both sides who take advantage of this hatred and come to power. It is easy to get votes based on hate and difficult to get it through love. Two atomic nations are pointing the guns at each other on the border and the whole progress of the subcontinent is on hold,” he said.

 
In a recent interview after he became the PM, he reiterated the need for peace with neighbours. “Pakistan needs peace and stability. The decades after 9/11 brought a lot of turmoil to the country. It was a war we had nothing to do with. Our tribal areas were devastated and tribes were internally displaced. We lost 80,000 people. We lost 100s of billions of dollars to the economy. Because of the instability and war, investment dried up. Unfortunately, due to the election year, the Indian politicians have rebuffed our hand of peace. Sadly, anti-Pakistan rhetoric gets votes. We will resume peace talks after the elections are over in India. We would rather have money diverted to our human resources than contributing to the arms race. In Pakistan, there is a complete consensus amongst all stakeholders that what our country needs are peace and stability and we will do whatever it takes to bring in more investments and reduce poverty,” he said.
 

Hilary Clinton had attested to the fact that the USA had created Al Qaeda in the subcontinent and left them there after their mission against the Soviet Union was accomplished.

 
His speech at the inauguration of the corridor came just days after India marked the 10-year anniversary of the Mumbai terror attacks which left 166 people dead and were carried out by a militant group based in Pakistan. The 2008 attacks dealt a critical blow to relations between the neighbours.
 
A new puppet from the military?
Many believe that he is an army stooge. They also say that even if he is honest, will the military allow for peaceful relations?
 
He had recently said that small men in big offices in India weren’t allowing the friendship to bloom and received backlash for it. He repeatedly called for visionary leaders who can look at the ‘big picture’ instead of petty quarrels.
 
Leading up to 25 July 2018, the day when Pakistan went to polls, it was clear as day that Khan was a Pak military puppet like many others before him. The Pakistan military did not want Nawaz Sharif-led PML-N to return to power. Nawaz Sharif had challenged the military hegemony over foreign and domestic policy when he was the Prime Minister in the last government.
 
“Sharif had a fall out with the Generals due to a number of reasons, especially with regard to Sharif’s vision of trying to improve relations with India. He also wanted civilian supremacy to prevail, and tried to initiate a treason case against General Pervez Musharraf, the former Pakistani Army Chief, and the country’s last military dictator, who ousted Sharif’s government in 1999 in a coup,” reported Quint.
 
The Al Qaida-linked Harkat-ul-Mujahideen (HuM) terror outfit, initially funded by the USA, also announced their support for Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in a Facebook post which had the group’s leader posing with a PTI candidate in the picture. USA has now branded this outfit as a terrorist organisation.
 
Maulana Fazal ur Rehman Khalil, the alleged leader of HuM is an Islamabad-based cleric accused by the USA of plotting terror attacks in Pakistan, Afghanistan and India and of nurturing close links with Osama Bin Laden, who was killed in Pakistan’s northern city of Abbottabad during a raid by US special forces in 2011.
 
Imran Khan invoking religion in his first speech after winning elections reminded of Zia-ul-Haq’s speech in UN invoking religion that made him popular among the right-wing Pakistanis.
 
Questionable takes on feminism
Imran Khan was seen as a progressive and liberal whose promise of a ‘Naya Pakistan’ had the masses feeling optimistic. It was not to be as he began pleasing the extreme religious factions. He consistently speaks for the patriarchal system that benefits him.
 
During an interview with a Pakistani television channel, he said that Western feminism had degraded the role of mothers.
 
“A mother is the biggest influence in her child’s life,” Khan said in an interview with Hum News. “I disagree with the Western concept of feminism; it has completely degraded the role of a mother.”
 
In the book which also bears her name, Khan’s former wife and TV presenter made serious allegations against Khan, including accusations of sexual misconduct and harassment.
 
In an exclusive interview to CNN-News18, Reham Khan said in the book she reveals instances of rampant sexual coercion and use of sexual favours for political gains within the ranks of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf.
 
Imran Khan might be walking on a tightrope here because the Pakistani parliament has never been fully independent of military influence. One of the earliest demands by the Prime Ministers of Pakistan was to allow full transfer of power. Pakistan is also a highly divided society with sectarian, regional and lingual differences. The political alliances are as unpredictable as the Indian political circus.
 

The post Can Imran Khan’s words heal Indo-Pak ties? appeared first on SabrangIndia.

For the eager twitter followers and reactors, armed with patriotic zeal, the Indian Prime Minister's Birthday Greetings to Nawaz Sharif were too much to handle. Modi called to wish his Pakistani counterpart on his birthday. Sharid turned 67 on Christmas Day, December 25, 2016. It is a birthday he shares with former Indian prime minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee and founder of Pakistan, Mohammad Ali Jinnah. Modi's tweet came as a 'surprise' with the kind of war mongering over surgical stries indulged in by Modi and his cabinet colleagues, followed by his party cadres furing state and local elections.

“Birthday wishes to Pakistan PM Mr. Nawaz Sharif. I pray for his long and healthy life,” PM Modi tweeted.

Modi's flamboyant gestures towards Pakistan, beginning with invitation to all  SAARC leaders to a grand swearing in ceremony after his significant electoral victory in May 2016 have been followed by intimate 'gift' gestures of sarees from his mother to the Pakistani leader's mother and then a controversial pow wow with the Pakistani leader just before the  the Pathankot terror attacks that had severely embarassed the Modi administration.  It was in fact a Christmas time visit this time last year, when Mr Modi had travelled all the way to Lahore to wish Mr Sharif on an unscheduled visit. He had even attended a marriage ceremony of Sharif’s relative.

Related Articles:

1. Is Modi's Failed Diplomacy a Reason for Pakistan's Ceasefire Violations?
2.Did NDTV Compromise National Security? Here’s Why It’s A Brazen Lie, And Why We Must #StandWithNDTV

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This eye for the camera, embracing foreign dignatires kind of diplomacy conveys not what Modi has in his heart (Mann), but is misunderstood in the language of seasoned diplomacy. Modi’s embracing of Nawaz  Sharif as a long lost cousin conveyed a wrong message to Pakistan and prompted her to attack us at Pathankot and Uri. The language of peace with our neighbour was replaced by the language of confrontation. Overnight, Modi 's Pak policy lay in a shambles .
 
His response to Pathankot and Uri was what he calls a 'surgical strike 'and for which he claims great credit , but which has caused India considerable loss .The only gain of the surgical strike was the killing of 18 terrorists or terrorists in training .But this killing of 18 did not frighten Pakistan into abandoning its policy of attacking and bleeding India .The result has been just the opposite. Since September 29,2016 (the day of surgical strike) there have been 83 violations at LOC and the international border in Jammu and 17 in Kashmir. Six soldiers and a dozen civilians have been killed. One hundred villages near the border have been evacuated displacing lackhs of their inhabitants who have been forced into misery, in the approaching cold, away from their home and hearth.There had  been peace on the border for the last 13 years without a formal agreement  due to a tacit understanding between the countries; due to seasoned diplomacy. Now, even the future of the relations between the neighbours is uncertain and might get worse with less than intelligent –stupid- men occupying sensitive postions in government. Parrikar, the Defence Minister, talks of using nuclear bombs, raising a bogey no sane man would raise. Meanwhile, our Jawans and civilians are being killed without a cause, purpose and goal just because of the flip flop of a prime minister, who just does not know the first principles of how the foreign policy of a nation is conducted.

The post Is Modi’s Failed Diplomacy a Reason for Pakistan’s Ceasefire Violations? appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Image: The Indian Express

Since then, the Indian government has conducted surgical strikes on alleged militant camps near the border, and intensified its pressure to isolate Pakistan internationally. So much so, the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has described Pakistan as the motherhood of terrorism.
 
Not to be left behind, a hawkish media and certain stars associated with the Indian film industry have created an atmosphere of hostility against Pakistan across the country. A pressure is also being built to prevent Indian filmmakers engaging Pakistani film actors. Those blinded by nationalism are not willing to listen to alternative views. As a result, those expressing reservations over this rhetoric are being hounded and intimidated by right-wing groups. Any voice of reason is seen as unpatriotic. 
 
Undoubtedly, Pakistan is responsible for supporting Islamic extremism and was instrumental in the creation of Taliban at the behest of US as a counterweight to Russia during the cold war era. But India’s ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is only trying to create war hysteria in the aftermath of the attack to attract votes during the upcoming assembly elections in Punjab and Uttar Pradesh. It must not be forgotten that Pakistani soldiers and civilians are also getting killed at the hands of the same Islamic extremists who are active in the Kashmir region.
 
The bigger question however is, even if we believe what is being served to us by the Indian leadership and the media or their apologists in the film industry, why was such outrage and patriotism not shown when several Sikh soldiers were brutally murdered during the 1984 anti-Sikh massacre? The pogrom followed the assassination of the then Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards.
 
In the first week of November, 1984, thousands of innocent Sikhs were murdered in different parts of the country by the mobs led by Gandhi’s Congress party activists. Even uniformed soldiers (Sikhs) travelling in trains were not spared. No film actor or a leader had expressed any anger over such disrespect shown to the Sikh soldiers, who too were serving for the security and safety of the nation. 
 
One can argue that it is an old incident and the BJP which was not in power cannot be blamed. But this certainly reflects on the collective consciousness of the nation that was built on the principles of secularism and inclusiveness. 
 
Now consider a fresh instance to understand what this “selective patriotism” means. In June this year, a paramilitary force convoy was attacked in Kashmir by militants leaving eight soldiers dead. One of them, constable Vir Singh was a Dalit, a community that continues to face caste-based discrimination.
 
When Vir Singh’s body was taken to his native village for cremation in Uttar Pradesh, the upper caste chauvinists declined to give his family public space for last rites. They were forced to give in after intervention of the administration. It’s a shame that there was no national outrage shown to such disrespect to a slain soldier because of his caste.
 
Even otherwise, the way Indian soldiers are being immortalised by the political leadership and the intelligentsia is problematic.
 
Before the Uri attack, over 80 Kashmiri civilians had died at the hands of Indian security forces. They were killed during protests against the death of a militant in an allegedly staged shootout. Number of Kashmiris also lost their eyes in the pellet attacks by the soldiers. Twenty-five years ago, Indian soldiers had raped many women during a raid on two Kashmiri villages: Kunan and Poshpora. During the infamous military operation of 1991, men were separated from the womenfolk after which women, including minors and seniors were brutally raped by the soldiers.  Until now, no justice has been done to the victims of Kunan and Poshpora.
 
Those who are so much pained over the deaths of 19 soldiers must ask themselves why such outrage was not shown for the civilians who were either killed or raped by army men? Is the army the only custodian of national interest? Or is national interest more important than the life and dignity of the people of any nation?  
 
And why only see Pakistan as motherhood of terrorism when the BJP government is also shielding those involved in acts of terror and violence in the name of Hindu nationalism?  Among them are those who targeted Samjhauta Express that connects India and Pakistan in 2007, killing 68 people, mostly Pakistanis in a bomb blast. Why was there no outrage when a statue of Nathuram Godse, a Hindu extremist who had killed Mahatma Gandhi in 1948 was recently unveiled in Uttar Pradesh?
 
Why these double standards on terrorism? If this is how the national interest is defined then please include my name in the list of anti-nationals as well.

(The writer is a senior journalist with radio in Canada)

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फिल्म अभिनेता फरहान अख्तर ने फिल्म ‘ऐ दिल है मुश्किल’ को विवाद से बचाने 5 करोड़ रुपए देने की मांग को कदम दुर्भाग्यपूर्ण करार दिया है। ऐसा कर फरहान ने MNS को आईना दिखाने का भी काम किया है।

फरहान अख्तर ने कहा है, कि फिल्म रईस को रिलीज कराने के लिए सेना के राहत कोष में पांच करोड़ रुपये देने का सवाल ही पैदा नहीं होता। इस फिल्म में फरहान अख्तर काम कर रहे हैं। फिल्म में पाकिस्तानी कलाकार के काम करने की वजह से विवाद शुरू हुआ है।

उन्होंने यह सवाल भी किया कि आप इंडिया और पाकिस्तान के बीच हर साल होनेवाले करीब 2 अरब डॉलर के बिजनेस को क्यों नहीं रोकते?

फरहान से जब फिल्म ऐ दिल है मुश्किल की तरह सेना के राहत कोष में पैसे देने के बारे में पूछा गया तो उन्होंने कहा कि सेना ने इस तरह से दी जाने वाली राशि को लेने से मना कर दिया है, इसलिए वो ऐसा करने के पक्ष में नहीं हैं।

आपको बता दें कि फरहान से पहले शबाना आजमी इस मामले पर कहा था, ‘कैसी दुखद स्थिति है। मुख्यंमत्री सौदा करते हैं, देशभक्ति खरीदने के लिए मुख्यमंत्री पांच करोड़ रुपये का सौदा करते हैं।’

Courtesy: Janta Ka Reporter

The post फरहान अख्तर का MNS को जवाब कहा, ‘रईस’ को रिलीज होने के लिए नहीं देंगे पांच करोड़ appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Photo: News 18

Singh threatened that he would “attack” theatres in entire Telangana, starting from his constituency Goshamahal, if the film is screened there.

“My idea is that a message should go to Pakistan in all possible ways about India’s opposition and public anger against Pak-sponsored terrorism,” Singh said.

“There is widespread anger in the country against Pakistan at the moment following the neighbouring country’s support to terrorism against India,” the MLA claimed.

He alleged that the tax paid by Pakistani actors to their country is used against India.

The filmmaker should know that there are many talented actors in India itself, Singh said.

The legislator said he is also “campaigning against China which is supporting Pakistan”.

Singh was in news earlier for opposing a proposed beef festival here.

The Raj-Thackeray led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) has opposed the movie and threatened to break glasses of film theatres screening it.

“We will oppose the screening of the movie everywhere in the state (Maharashtra). If any multiplex operator dares to screen the film, they (operators) should remember that multiplexes are decorated with expensive glass sheets,” MNS leader Amey Khopkar had said.

Under pressure over opposition to the upcoming release of “Ae Dil Hai Mushkil”, Johar had yesterday said he will not “engage with talent” from Pakistan in future and made a fervent appeal against stalling the blockbuster.

(With inputs from PTI)

Courtesy: Janta ka Reporter
 

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अमिताभ बच्चन की चौहत्तरवीं सालगिरह राष्ट्रीय ख़बर थी. आख़िर वे महानायक हैं. लेकिन अमिताभ बच्चन के महानायक होने के मायने क्या हैं? क्या इसकी कसौटी उनकी अभूतपूर्व व्यावसायिक सफलता है? या, वे एक असाधारण अभिनेता हैं जिनका जोड़ कम से कम हिंदी सिनमा को अब तक नहीं मिला? इन प्रश्नों पर अलग-अलग राय हो सकती है.

इस महानायकत्व के सामाजिक आशय को कैसे समझें? अपने जन्मदिन पर उन्होंने एक सरकारी या राजकीय प्रवक्ता की तरह देशभक्तिपूर्ण वक्तव्य जारी किया, कि यह समय अपने सैन्य बल के साथ खड़े होने का है. इस बयान का कोई ख़ास अर्थ नहीं है क्योंकि शायद ही इस देश में आज कोई ऐसा है जो सेना पर सवाल कर रहा हो. कम से कम दहशतगर्दों के ख़िलाफ़ उसकी कार्रवाई पर. सारे राजनीतिक दल एक स्वर से इस कार्रवाई का समर्थन कर रहे हैं. तब इस समय अलग से सेना के साथ एकजुटता के बयान में कोई ताजगी न थी. इस बयान की भाषा में भी कोई प्रेरणास्पद शक्ति नहीं थी. फिर एक अभिनेता यह बयान देकर क्या साबित कर रहा है?

दहशगर्दी के ख़िलाफ़ किसी क़दम का विरोध शायद कोई आत्मघाती ही कर सकता है. आलोचना अगर हो रही है तो भारतीय जनता पार्टी की सरकार और उसके नेताओं की जो कई क़दम आगे जाकर असभ्य तरीक़े से पाकिस्तान के खिलाफ बयान तो दे ही रहे हैं, सेना के एक पेशेवर क़दम को उत्तर प्रदेश के चुनाव में भुनाने में भी लगे हैं. इसकी आलोचना करने वालों पर हमले हो रहे हैं, उन्हें पाकिस्तान जाने की नसीहत दी जा रही है.
 

अमिताभ बच्चन हिंदी सिनेमा के बुज़ुर्ग हैं. उनसे यह संसार संरक्षण की उम्मीद भी करता है. उनसे कनिष्ठ अभिनेता संकट में उनकी ओर देखें, यह स्वाभाविक ही है. दूसरे देशों के कलाकार भी अपनी हिफाजत के लिए उनकी ओर ही देखेंगे.
 

इस समय अगर अमिताभ बच्चन जैसी सार्वजनिक शख़्सियत लोगों के गलत की आलोचना करने के अधिकार का समर्थन करे तो उसका कुछ मतलब हो, लेकिन ऐसा उन्होंने नहीं किया.

अमिताभ बच्चन हिंदी सिनेमा के बुज़ुर्ग हैं. उनसे यह संसार संरक्षण की उम्मीद भी करता है. उनसे कनिष्ठ अभिनेता संकट में उनकी ओर देखें, यह स्वाभाविक ही है. इतने लंबे सिनेमाई जीवन के कारण और एक अखिल भारतीय व्यक्तित्व होने के चलते उनकी बात का असर व्यापक होगा. दूसरे देशों के कलाकार भी अपनी हिफाजत के लिए उनकी ओर ही देखेंगे. लेकिन अगर हम उनके रिकॉर्ड पर नज़र दौड़ाएं तो मालूम होता है कि उन्होंने अभिनेता के तौर पर अर्जित शक्ति का इस्तेमाल कभी भी अपने लाभ के अलावा किसी और मक़सद के लिए नहीं किया.

अभी हाल में जब पाकिस्तानी कलाकारों को भारत से चले जाने का अभियान चलाया गया तो सलमान खान तक से न रहा गया. पिछले दिनों अपने ऊटपटांग व्यवहार के लिए बदनाम ओम पुरी ने भी इस घृणा अभियान की आलोचना की. लेकिन अमिताभ बच्चन का बयान आज्ञाकारी, अनुशासित अनुचर जैसा था. उन्होंने कहा कि अगर ऐसा कोई फ़ैसला हुआ है तो वे उसका पालन करेंगे. यानी किसी पाकिस्तानी कलाकार के साथ काम नहीं करेंगे.

अमिताभ से इस समय क्या अपेक्षा थी? ‘क्या सीमा पार की सैनिक कार्रवाई’ पाकिस्तान की फ़ौज के ख़िलाफ़ थी? क्या वह पाकिस्तान पर हमले की शुरुआत थी? क्या पाकिस्तान ने भारत पर आक्रमण कर दिया है? ज़ाहिर है, इनमें से हर सवाल का जवाब ‘नहीं’ में है. सरकार की ही बात मानें तो यह एक सीमित कार्रवाई थी जो दहशतगर्दों के एक जमाव को नाकाम करने के लिए की गई. ऐसी स्थिति में पाकिस्तान के कलाकारों के बहिष्कार का क्या अर्थ है? यह सवाल कोई भी विवेकी उठाएगा. यह तय है कि अक्सर सवाल उठाने में ख़तरा है. लेकिन अगर ख़तरे से महानायक डरेगा तो फिर मैदान में कौन रहेगा?

इस घटना को छोड़ भी दें तो पहले भी अमिताभ बच्चन ने अपनी बिरादरी के असुरक्षित साथियों के लिए आवाज़ उठाना ज़रूरी नहीं समझा है. हाल में कन्नड़ फ़िल्म अभिनेत्री सपना को सिर्फ़ यह कहने पर कि पाकिस्तान नरक नहीं है अपमानित और प्रताड़ित किया गया, तो अमिताभ को यह अपने क़द से बहुत छोटा मामला जान पड़ा.
 

हाल में जब आमिर खान पर पूरी सरकार ने हमला बोल दिया तो अनेक कलाकार उनके समर्थन में सामने आए लेकिन अमिताभ को यह मुंह खोलने लायक मामला नहीं लगा.
 

आमिर खान पर एकाधिक बार हमले हुए हैं. मेधा पाटकर के आंदोलन का समर्थन करने के चलते जब गुजरात में उनकी फ़िल्म के प्रदर्शन को रोका दिया गया, तो भी अमिताभ ने चुप्पी बनाए रखी. हाल में जब आमिर खान पर पूरी सरकार ने हमला बोल दिया तो अनेक कलाकार उनके समर्थन में सामने आए लेकिन अमिताभ को यह मुंह खोलने लायक मामला नहीं लगा. इसी समय नयनतारा सहगल समेत और लेखकों पर सरकार और सत्ताधारी दल की ओर से भद्दे आक्रमण की सूरत में भी उन्होंने अपनी सुनहरी ख़ामोशी बनाए रखी. नयनतारा उनकी मां की मित्र भी होंगी और अमिताभ की बचपन की कुछ यादें उनसे जुड़ी होंगी, लेखक उनकी पिता की बिरादरी के थे, लेकिन अमिताभ को यह सब अपनी ऊंचाई से दिखाई न दिया.

कहा जाता है कि अमिताभ जैसे कलाकार से ऐसी संवेदनशील स्थिति में स्टैंड लेने की मांग ग़लत है क्योंकि एक-एक फ़िल्म पर करोड़ों रुपए लगे होते हैं और सैकड़ों की रोजी उससे जुड़ी होती है. यह बहाना लेकर अक्सर अपनी तटस्थता का बचाव किया जाता है. अगर महानायक इतना असमर्थ है तो उसकी इस पदवी का क्या अर्थ है?

ऐसा नहीं कि अमिताभ ने सत्ता से एक सच्चे कलाकार की तरह दूरी रखी है. ऐसे कलाकार भी हैं. वहीदा रहमान शालीनता से जीवन जी रही हैं. लेकिन अमिताभ बच्चन को राजनीतिक दलों से नजदीकी रखने में कोई उलझन नहीं रही है.

अमिताभ की कुरबत (नजदीकी), जो अब उतनी नई भी नहीं है, भारतीय जनता पार्टी से है. 2002 के गुजरात के जनसंहार के बाद उसे दर्शनीय स्थल के रूप में मनभावन बनाने में अमिताभ ने अपनी आवाज़ की दैवीय देन का भरपूर इस्तेमाल किया.

क्या हिंदी सिनेमा संसार ऐसा ही रहा है? हाल में हमने शर्मिला टैगोर, महेश भट्ट, शबाना आज़मी, आमिर खान या फ़रहान अख़्तर जैसे कलाकारों को समय-समय पर बोलते हुए और उसके कारण मुश्किल में पड़ते भी देखा है. लेकिन बड़ा तबक़ा ऐसा है जो सत्ता का चारण बनने में हिचकता नहीं.
 

जिस समय भारत का महानायक राज्य का प्रचारक मालूम पड़ रहा है, लगभग उसी समय पिंक फ़्लॉयड के पुराने और अलग हो चुके गायक एक जगह इकट्ठा हुए: फ़िलस्तीन और ग़ाज़ा पट्टी की आज़ादी की ओर ध्यान दिलाने को निकले जहाज के समर्थन में एक मज़बूत बयान देने के लिए.
 

कई फ़िल्मी हस्तियां राज्य सभा में गई हैं, फ़िल्म में होने के कारण. लेकिन वहां उनकी भूमिका सचिन तेंदुलकर जैसी ही रही है. पृथ्वीराज कपूर का वक़्त कुछ और था!

जिस समय भारत का महानायक राज्य का प्रचारक मालूम पड़ रहा है, लगभग उसी समय पिंक फ़्लॉयड के पुराने और अलग हो चुके गायक एक जगह इकट्ठा हुए: फ़िलस्तीन और ग़ाज़ा पट्टी की आज़ादी की ओर ध्यान दिलाने को निकले जहाज के समर्थन में एक मज़बूत बयान देने के लिए. ये गायक खुलकर डॉनल्ड ट्रम्प की मुख़ालफ़त भी कर रहे हैं. ऐसे अमरीकी कलाकार कम नहीं हैं जिन्होंने खुलेआम कहा है कि अगर ट्रम्प राष्ट्रपति हों तो वे अमरीका में रहने पर सोचेंगे. लेकिन वहां उन्हें जलावतन करने या देशद्रोही ठहराने के बारे में किसी ने कुछ कहा नहीं है.

यूरोप, अमरीका में जनतंत्र के लिए, दबे-कुचले लोगों के लिए अपनी कला की शक्ति का इस्तेमाल नया नहीं है. वहां कलाकार, भले ही, करोड़ों में खेलते हों, राजनीतिक जोखिम लेते रहे हैं. वियतनाम युद्ध हो या इराक़ पर हमला, कलाकारों ने राष्ट्र के मानस को युद्ध के ख़िलाफ़ तैयार करने में पेशकदमी ली है. हमारे यहां, दुर्भाग्य से कलाकार, ख़ासकर फ़िल्मी, आत्मसंरक्षण और आत्मोत्थान से आगे जा नहीं पाते.
अगर कला का समाज की आत्मा की लौ जगाए रखने से कोई वास्ता है, तो यह क्योंकर है कि हमारे बड़े कलाकार अपनी आत्मा को कुचल कर अपना ओहदा बचाए रखते हैं? इस लौ को उकसाने का काम रंगमंच के कलाकार करते रहे हैं, लेकिन, वे भी व्यवसायीकरण के साथ, कम होते जाते हैं. अगर कोई सबसे मुखर तबक़ा है तो अध्यापकों और लेखकों का. अमिताभ बच्चन इस फ़िल्मी दुनिया के एक सबसे ज्यादा बिकनेवाले उत्पाद हैं. उन्होंने अपने भीतर किसी सचेतन सत्ता का अनुभव नहीं किया तो क्या आश्चर्य?

Courtesy: satyagrah.scroll.in

The post अगर वे इतने ही असमर्थ हैं तो हमारे महानायक कैसे हो सकते हैं? appeared first on SabrangIndia.

The Merchant-Ivory Production Bombay Talkie (1970), about a married film star’s dalliance with an American writer, stars one of the best-known Pakistani actors and voice artists. Zia Mohyeddin had appeared in several plays in London, including as Dr Aziz in a BBC adaptation of EM Forster’s A Passage to India in 1965. In Bombay Talkie, Mohyeddin plays Hari, a frustrated writer who is love with the American writer, played by Jennifer Kendal.

 
‘Bombay Talkie’ (1970).

Over the years, big-name Pakistani actors made appearances in Hindi films, including Nadeem in Ambrish Sangal’s Door Desh (1983) and Talat Hussain in Sawan Kumar Tak’s melodrama Souten Ki Beti (1989). Zeba Bakhtiar, the daughter of former Pakistan Law Minister Yahya Bakhtiar, played the lead along with Rishi Kapoor in Raj Kapoor’s cross-border romance Henna (1991). The story of a Kashmiri (Rishi Kapoor) who strays across the Line of Control after a bout of amnesia was inspired by the Pakistani classic Lakhon Mein Eik. Directed by Raza Amir in 1967, and based on a story by Zia Sarhadi, Heena has dialogue by legendary Pakistani television writer and playwright Haseena Moin, who wrote such iconic TV shows as Dhoop Kinare and Tanhaiyaan.

Bakhtiar was briefly married to singer and composer Adnan Sami, who became an Indian citizen in January 2016.

Among the Pakistani actors who have enlivened Hindi cinema through standout cameos is Salman Shahid. He plays a Taliban fighter in Kabul Express (2006) but is better known as Mushtaq Bhai, the hoodlum who tries in vain to tame Iftikhar (Naseeruddin Shah) and Babban (Arshad Warsi) in Abhishek Chaubey’s Ishqiya (2010) and Dedh Ishqiya (2014).

 
‘Ishqiya’ (2010).

The patrician Javed Sheikh has had a longer run, starring in John Matthew Matthan’s Shikhar (2005), Shirish Kunder’s Jaan-E-Mann (2006), Farah Khan’s Om Shanti Om (2008), Anil Sharma’s Apne (2007), Vipul Shah’s Namastey London (2007) and Imtiaz Ali’s Tamsaha (2015). Sheikh’s most recent release is the cross-border rom-com Happy Bhaag Jayegi (2016) by Mudassar Aziz, who also stars his daughter, Momal Sheikh.

India-Pakistani co-productions are rare, but two examples stand out. One is Khamosh Pani (2003), directed by Pakistani director Sabiha Sumar, written by Indian filmmaker and writer Paromita Vohra , and starring Kirron Kher and Shilpa Shukla. The moving period drama, about a widow’s troubled relationship with her radicalised son, won the Best Film (Golden Leopard) prize at the Locarno International Film Festival.

Kirron Kher in ‘Khamosh Pani’.

Nandita Das crossed over to the other side to appear in Mehreen Jabbar’s Ramchand Pakistani (2008) as Champa, a Pakistani Hindu woman whose husband and son stray into India. Naseeruddin Shah has also been appearing in Pakistani films, such as Shoaib Mansoor’s Khuda Kay Liye (2007) and Zinda Bhaag (2013), by Meenu Gaur and Farjad Nabi. Khuda Kay Liye, which starred Pakistani superstar Shan and Fawad Khan, was released by Eros Entertainment in India, followed by Mansoor’s Bol in 2013. Two of Bol’s lead actresses, Humaima Malick and Mahira Khan, have been signed up by Bollywood. Malick headlined the Emraan Hashmi-starrer Raja Natwarlal (2014), while Mahira Khan has been paired with Shah Rukh Khan in the 2017 release Raees.

Nandita Das in ‘Ramchand Pakistani’ (2008).

India has also been able to share the talent of Pakistani musicians over the years. Chupke Chupke, the popular ghazal by Ghulam Ali, whose concerts in India have been regularly blocked by Shiv Sena, was used in BR Chopra’s marital drama Nikaah (1982).

Subhash Ghai recruited renowned Pakistani folk singer Reshma to record her classic love ballad, Lambi Judai, for his romance Hero (1983). In a 2004 interview, Reshma, whose family left Rajasthan for Pakistan when she was a toddler, said, “I was born in India and brought up in Pakistan. To me, India and Pakistan are the left and the right eyes.”

One of the greatest Pakistani exports in music is the qawwal Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, who recorded several songs in collaboration with Indian musicians and lyricists, including remixed versions of Piya Re and Aafreen Aafreen (with lyrics by Javed Akhtar) and Gurus of Peace with AR Rahman.

Article was first published on Scroll.in

The post ‘India and Pakistan are like the left and right eyes’: A short survey of cross-border cultural ties appeared first on SabrangIndia.