Indian lyricist and screenwriter Javed Akhtar has once again made headlines with a controversial statement. In an interview with “The Lallantop”, Akhtar claimed that he and his wife Shabana Azmi were once denied a flat in Mumbai because they are Muslims—and blamed Pakistan for it.
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Muslim Denied a Flat, But Pakistan Held Responsible
Akhtar shared an incident from about 25 years ago when his wife Shabana Azmi wanted to invest in a flat in Mumbai. A broker told them that the owner didn’t want to sell the property to Muslims.
Defending this discrimination, Akhtar said:
“The owner was a Sindhi whose parents were forced to leave Pakistan during the Partition. The bitterness they carried came out in this way.”
He added, “You (Pakistanis) threw them out of Sindh, so they took it out on us. Look into your own actions.”
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Targeting Bushra Ansari
Javed Akhtar also responded to Pakistani actress Bushra Ansari’s earlier criticism. She had mocked him by saying he couldn’t even rent a house in Mumbai and should stay silent like actor Naseeruddin Shah.
Akhtar hit back:
“Who is she to decide when I should speak? What gives her that right?”
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“I Won’t Visit Pakistan Again”
Akhtar revealed that he visited Pakistan in February 2023 but now has no intention of returning.
He said he receives 50–60 abusive messages from Pakistanis every day but claimed, “It doesn’t affect me.”
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Partition Pain — But Why Punish Today’s Muslims?
While Akhtar justified the landlord’s actions by referring to the trauma of Partition, it raises a critical question:
Should today’s Muslims pay the price for history?
If the issue lies in historical pain, targeting innocent people today only deepens the divide.
