India-Pakistan Ties Unlikely to Improve Soon, Says Javed Akhtar
| 2025-05-31
Representative image.
Javed Akhtar says India-Pakistan ties may not improve soon, citing missed reconciliation opportunities post-Partition and growing political divides.
Relations between India and Pakistan are unlikely to improve in the near future, Indian lyricist and writer Javed Akhtar said on Friday, citing missed opportunities for reconciliation following the countries' 1947 Partition and ongoing political tensions.
Akhtar was speaking at a book launch in Mumbai when he reflected on the longstanding hostilities between the two South Asian neighbours. The 80-year-old expressed scepticism about any political rapprochement, pointing to deep-rooted mistrust, unresolved trauma from Partition, and recent flare-ups including the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, India, which killed 26 people, mostly tourists.
Missed Moment for Healing
Drawing a parallel to South Africa’s post-apartheid Truth and Reconciliation Commission—a process that allowed victims and perpetrators to come together and share their stories—Akhtar said India and Pakistan failed to create a similar forum after their violent separation in 1947.
"It is a bit late in the day for reconciliation. Our people in India only knew what happened to them after 1947–48. The people over there knew what happened with them," Akhtar said, adding, “If only all of them had sat together once... It has been 75 years, they would be in their 90s now. How many of them would even be alive?”
Akhtar suggested that if the governments of India and Pakistan had brought together refugees from both sides in the 1950s to share their experiences, mutual understanding might have replaced suspicion.
“Only then would we have truly known what happened to whom and what kind of atrocities were faced by how many people. It would not have remained one-sided. But this did not happen,” he said.
Political and Military Obstacles
Akhtar also criticised what he described as entrenched interests within Pakistan—particularly the military, political establishment and right-wing groups—for obstructing peace.
“There are crores of people in Pakistan today who want better relations with India—not just because some are genuinely good people, but because many are drawn to India's scale and progress—its big corporates, opportunities, cinema, business, IT and industrial growth,” Akhtar noted.
He suggested that while many ordinary Pakistanis are interested in cooperation, their government and military leadership have not reciprocated India’s diplomatic and cultural overtures.
“Our Army is very professional, they are not at all political. But it is not like that there [in Pakistan]. People say every country has an army and the Pakistani army has a country,” he said.
Rising Tensions Following Operation Sindoor
Akhtar’s remarks come in the wake of rising tensions between India and Pakistan after the deadly terror attack in Pahalgam. In retaliation, Indian armed forces launched a cross-border operation—codenamed Operation Sindoor—on May 7, targeting nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, according to Indian defence officials.
While India claims its response was measured and targeted at militant infrastructure, Pakistan has condemned the operation, further inflaming diplomatic strains.
Akhtar stated that India has refrained from aggression, even in situations where it would be justified. “There is such a big dispute in Kashmir... In spite of our claim, we have never been aggressive. In fact, many people complain, 'Why are you not aggressive?' We are not that. So the aggression has always been from that side,” he said.
Bollywood’s Silence and the Role of Public Figures
Akhtar also weighed in on criticism directed at Bollywood celebrities for their silence on Operation Sindoor. Responding to accusations that prominent actors and filmmakers failed to speak out, he said that not every public figure should be expected to comment on political issues.
“If someone isn't speaking, so what? The country is speaking. Many people are. Some are busy making more money or building their name. Let them,” he told online outlet Lallantop.
He defended his own record of speaking out on social and political matters, noting, “I do speak up. I've always spoken. Sometimes people don't like what I say, sometimes they do. But I say what I believe is true.”
Akhtar challenged the notion that celebrities have a duty to comment on every national development, saying that those who demand statements from others must themselves have the courage to speak out on uncomfortable issues.
“Anyone can speak on convenient or light topics. But those who accuse others must also show the courage to speak up on serious and uncomfortable matters,” he said.
Context: India-Pakistan Relations
India and Pakistan have fought three wars and multiple skirmishes since their independence in 1947. Relations have remained tense, particularly over the disputed region of Jammu and Kashmir. Despite numerous attempts at dialogue, trust-building has been undermined by terror attacks, military confrontations, and political rhetoric on both sides.
While cultural exchanges and trade talks have occasionally shown promise, developments such as the 2019 Pulwama terror attack and India’s revocation of Article 370—which granted autonomy to Jammu and Kashmir—have further strained ties.
Akhtar’s comments echo broader public frustration over the lack of sustained peace efforts, and highlight how past grievances continue to shape the political climate today.
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