Javed Akhtar, the renowned lyricist of Bollywood, has once again made headlines for his views on Urdu. At an event, Javed Akhtar emphasised that Urdu does not belong to Pakistan or Egypt, but rather to Hindustan.
Akhtar expressed these views while attending the launch of Dr Satinder Sartaaj’s Urdu poetry album titled “Shayarana – Sartaj” along with his wife Shabana Azmi.
During the event, Akhtar stressed that Urdu is an indigenous language and has not been borrowed from any other place. He also pointed out that Urdu is only spoken within the boundaries of Hindustan, which includes Pakistan, as it was once a part of India.
Akhtar further stressed that Urdu is the language of India, and Punjab has made significant contributions to it. He expressed concern about the declining use of Urdu and Hindi among the younger generation, who are more inclined towards English.
According to Akhtar, it is essential to promote Hindi as it is the national language of India. He compared the ownership of Urdu to that of Kashmir, stating that just as Pakistan claims ownership of Kashmir, Urdu should also be recognised as a language that belongs to Hindustan.
Akhtar went on to explain that language is defined by its region, not its religion. He argued that if language were based on religion, then Europe would have only one language. Therefore, the language spoken in a particular region is not determined by religion, but by geography.
Akhtar’s recent visit to Lahore for the 7th Faiz Festival garnered significant attention on social media. In addition to expressing his admiration for the renowned Pakistani poet Faiz Ahmad Faiz and his respect for all languages, Akhtar made controversial statements regarding the individuals responsible for the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, who he claimed were still freely roaming in Pakistan. These statements caused outrage among many people.
Akhtar also stressed the need to refrain from blaming each other for the issues between India and Pakistan. He stated that the ongoing political turmoil needs to be resolved peacefully. Referring to the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, Akhtar pointed out that the attackers were not from Norway or Egypt but were still present in Pakistan. Therefore, he argued that it was reasonable for Indians to express their concerns about the matter.
Over the years, Akhtar has been vocal about his opinions regarding the Pakistani government on his social media accounts and has tweeted about various incidents. During a recent event, the Jee Le Zara lyricist mentioned that Indian artists had hosted several events for Pakistani artists like Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Mehdi Hassan, but Lata Mangeshkar had never been invited to perform in Pakistan. The audience responded positively to his comment.
Talking about poverty in Pakistan, the Indian star said that he did not see any slums in Pakistan. He expressed these views at an Indian TV programme.
