Javed Akhtar is a well-known poet and screenwriter who is most known for his work in Bollywood. At a recent ceremony to promote an Urdu poetry album with actor-wife Shabana Azmi, he underlined the value of the Urdu language and the province of Punjab’s contribution to its development.
The seasoned poet and lyricist discussed poetry in Punjab’s nearly extinct “Urdu” language and commended Dr. Satinder Sartaj for preserving it. His claim that “Urdu belongs to India, not Pakistan or Egypt” is, however, receiving harsh criticism from Pakistan.
According to ANI, Javed Akhtar stated, “Urdu has not originated from somewhere else… That is the language we use. Outside of India, it is not spoken… Pakistan was only a part of India before it and India were split apart, creating Pakistan. Hence, this language is not used outside of India.
“Punjab has made a significant contribution to Urdu, which is the national language of India! But why did you abandon this dialect? Causes of the division? as a result of Pakistan? Urdu deserves consideration. There used to be only Hindustan; later, Pakistan was divided from Hindustan. Will you believe Pakistan’s claim that Kashmir belongs to us at this point? I don’t believe so! Akin to Hindi, Urdu is and will always be a Hindustani language. The younger generation in our nation now speaks less Urdu and Hindi. Now, English is given more attention. Since that Hindi is our national language, we should speak it.
Pakistani internet users criticised Javed Akhtar for making “problematic comments” against their country. A user posted, “According to Javed Akhtar, Urdu is an Indian language, not a Pakistani one. Outside of India, it is not spoken…! Unknowingly or not, Urdu is Pakistan’s official language. What is this new Javed Akhtar drama about?”
A different user said, “It appears like Indian lyricist Javed Akhtar doesn’t hold back when it comes to making derogatory generalisations against Pakistan, its culture, and its people.”
#SunRiseWithAdeel According to Javed Akhtar, Urdu is an Indian language, not a Pakistani one. Outside of India, it is not spoken…! Pakistan’s official national language is Urdu. What is this new Javed Akhtar Mantak?
— Shahrukh (@ShahSmartek) March 15, 2023
ok then make urdu your national language
– Usama Ijaz ☪️ (@Usama_Ijaz_PK) March 15, 2023
Urdu belongs to Pakistan… because it is our national language 🙂
– Mohammad Wasim (@MOHAMMA00654039) March 15, 2023
Nothing is stopping you from using it.
– Investing Muslim (@InvestingMuslim) March 15, 2023
There is no stopping Indian lyricist Javed Akhtar when it comes to making problematic statements about Pakistan, its culture and its people.#Pakistan #Culture #People #urdu #Culture pic.twitter.com/KJkFwjpRYb
– Pakistan Lead (@PakistanLead1) March 15, 2023
Javed Akhtar’s existence lately revolves around trying to one-up influencers by stirring up pointless controversies.
– Shujaat Mirza (@Shujaat_Mirza) March 14, 2023
Javed said that it was unjust to expect Indians to overlook the fact that the perpetrators of the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai lived independently in a speech delivered last month at a literary festival in Pakistan. Indians live in India and have witnessed the horrors of such atrocities, thus he made this statement. Kangana Ranaut, an Indian celebrity, applauded him while Pakistani celebrities criticised his comments.