India has responded strongly to Interior Minister Rehman Malik’s demand for provision of security to Bollywood actor Shahrukh Khan. Home Secretary RK Singh asked Malik to worry about the security of Pakistan’s citizens, saying India was fully capable of looking after its people.
“We are capable of looking after our own citizen, let him worry about the security of his country’s citizen,” RK Singh was quoted as saying by NDTV. The war of words started after Shahrukh Khan wrote a first-person account of what it meant to be a Muslim post the 9/11 world.
Malik demanded India provide security to the actor.
“He (Shahrukh) is born Indian and he would like to remain Indian, but I will request the government of India to please provide him security and I would like to request all Indian brothers and sisters who are all talking against Shahrukh that they should know he is a movie star, he is loved as a star by the people of Pakistan and he is loved by the people of India, then why create some kind of hate, let’s bring love,” Malik said. On Saturday, Jamaatud Dawa founder Hafiz Saeed also said the actor could move to Pakistan if he did not feel safe in India. In his account, Shahrukh had mentioned that he had sometimes become the inadvertent object of political leaders who chose to make him a symbol of all they thought was wrong and unpatriotic about Muslims in India.
Other inidan leaders also joined the criticism of Malik, including those in the ruling Congress party and main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party. Congress spokesperson Rashid Alvi said Pakistan’s interior minister should first take care of his own artistes and nationals.
“What to speak about security, they (Pakistan) even refused to allow ghazal singer Mehdi Hasan to come to India for treatment,” he said, adding that Shahrukh did not need special security.
BJP spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain said Malik should stop making such ridiculous remarks. “Indians in India are more safe and secure than Pakistanis in Pakistan. We don’t need Malik’s advice.” “If Indians feel insecure, it is from Malik’s ISI and Lashkar chief Hafiz Saeed. Let him first take care of them first”, said Shahnawaz Hussain.