Summary Indian political leaders slam Rehman Malik for his remarks on Shahrukh Khan’s security.
NEW DELHI: Political leaders across India Tuesday slammed Rehman Malik for his advice to Indian government to provide security to Bollywood star Shahrukh Khan.
Malik had said in Islamabad that the people of India and Pakistan loved Shahrukh Khan, and the Indian government should provide security to the Bollywood star.
India’s ruling Congress party and main opposition Bhartiya Janta Party spokespersons lashed out at Malik for his advice.
Congress spokesperson Rashid Alvi said, Pakistan s Interior Minister should first take care of his own artistes and citizens.
"What to speak about security, Pakistan governement even refused to allow ghazal singer Mehdi Hasan to come to India for treatment", said Rashid Alvi, who added that Shahrukh Khan did not need special security.
BJP spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain said Rehman Malik should stop making such ridiculous remarks. "Indians in India are more safe and secure than the Pakistanis in Pakistan. We don t need Mr Malik s advice."
Another BJP spokesperson Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said, silly statements from men like Indian Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde and Pakistan Interior Minister Rehman Malik unnecessary creates tension. Naqvi said, Shahrukh Khan was very well protected and India does not need Rehman Malik s advice.
Shahid Siddiqui, former Samajwadi Party spokesman said, it is none of Pakistan s business to raise issues like Shahrukh Khan s security.
“Shahrukh does not need security. His fans are there to protect him."
Home Secretary RK Singh has asked Rehman Malik to worry about the security of Pakistan s citizens and said that India is fully capable of looking after its citizens. "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 means to be a Muslim post the 9/11 world.
Rehman Malik demanded that India provides security to actor Shahrukh Khan. "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 to create some kind of hate, let s bring love," Malik said.
On Sunday, Jamaat-ud-Dawa founder Hafiz Saeed had also said that the actor can move to Pakistan if he didn t feel safe in India.
In his interview, Khan had mentioned that he has sometimes become the inadvertent object of political leaders who choose to make him a symbol of all that they think is wrong and unpatriotic about Muslims in India.
