‘Neelofar’ actor shares why she chose to speak out amid high cross-border tension during May
Mahira Khan makes sure to always speak her mind. While promoting her upcoming film Neelofar opposite Fawad Khan, the actor opened up about how she felt during the India-Pakistan conflict back in May. She talked about the love she carries for her homeland, despite appreciating the fans she has in India.
“I love my fans everywhere,” she said in an appearance on Hum News. “I love them in India also. But I think they will also understand that your country is your country. It’s my home. It was an emotional moment for me. I wasn’t going to look for my own benefit at the moment. I wasn’t thinking straight and I just wrote it. Usually I don’t speak much about these things but that was a point where I couldn’t have stayed silent.”
The actor added that she’s sure her Indian fans might’ve been hurt by it but what she wrote was aimed at the government, not the people.
Mahira spoke about the conflict back in May. In a post shared on Instagram, she expressed gratitude for living in a country that doesn’t dictate her speech. “We speak up when there are injustices in our own land. We condemn violence wherever it happens, even when my country Pakistan is instantly blamed without any evidence,” she said.
She decried India’s “war and hate rhetoric”, adding that she has witnessed it with her own eyes. “Your media fan the flames of division. Your most powerful voices remain silent in the face of genocide and war crimes – silenced not by law but by fear. And in that fear, you claim victory. But to me, that silence is your greatest defeat. You attack cities in the middle of the night and call it a victory? Shame on you.”
Mahira further extended her support towards her homeland back then too, writing, “My Pakistan, I love you. May we do the right thing. May we never stoop to that level even after this heinous provocation. Ameen. Pakistan Zindabad.”
