"Shabana and Javed sahab have always been seen as progressive people who have spoken out in favour of bettering Indo-Pak relations. So their reaction to the Pulwama incident has come as a surprise to the arts and literary community in Karachi," Omair Alavi, a well-known film critic, said.On Saturday, the Arts Council of Pakistan, Karachi, regretted the two artistes' decision. Arts Council president Ahmed Shah also expressed regrets over Akhtar's comments. But this time, Shabana Azmi sounds extremely disappointed. "The Arts Council is organising a conference on Feb 23 and 24 to mark the 100th birth anniversary of poet Kaifi Azmi.

Source: Economic Times February 18, 2019 02:26 UTC