Pakistani actor Fawad Khan took to his social media handles to condemn the terror attack in Pahalgam. His message comes at a time when the Federation of Western India Cine Employees (FWICE) has announced a ban on Pakistani artists. Fawad was looking forward to his Bollywood comeback in the film Abir Gulaal, also starring Vaani Kapoor. The film was scheduled to hit the screens on May 9.
Fawad took to Instagram to express his grief and wrote, “Deeply saddened to hear the news of the heinous attack in Pahalgam. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims of this horrifying incident, and we pray for strength and healing for their families in this difficult time.” Fawad had previously starred in Hindi films like Khoobsurat, Kapoor and Sons and Ae Dil hai Mushkil. Vaani Kapoor also expressed her grief over the incident and wrote, “Have been numb, at a loss of words since the time I have seen the attack on innocent people in Pahalgam. Gutted. Devastated. My prayers are with the families.”
FWICE announced that following the terror attack, they were calling for a “complete non-cooperation with all Pakistan artists, singers, and technicians within the Indian film and entertainment industry.” They also announced that they would “take all necessary steps to ensure that Abir Gulaal is not released in India.”
In their statement on Wednesday, FWICE condemned the attack and wrote, “This despicable act, claimed by The Resistance Front (TRF)-a proxy of the Pakistan-based terrorist organisation Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT)-specifically targeted a religious community, echoing the horror of the Pulwama attack on February 14, 2019, which claimed the lives of 40 CRPF personnel.”
Calling the ban on Pakistani artists, it further read, “In the wake of these repeated attacks, FWICE reaffirms its unwavering commitment to national interest and solidarity. We reiterate our directive, originally issued on February 18, 2019, calling for complete non-cooperation with all Pakistan artists, singers, and technicians within the Indian film and entertainment industry.”
The federation also mentioned Fawad and Vaani’s film in the statement and said, “Despite this ongoing directive, we have been made aware of the recent collaboration with Pakistani actor Fawad Khan for the Hindi film Abir Gulaal. In light of the recent attack in Pahalgam, FWICE is once again compelled to issue a blanket boycott on all Pakistani artists, singers, and technicians participating in any Indian film or entertainment projects. This includes performances or collaborations occurring anywhere in the world.”
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FWICE issued a strict warning against collaboration with Pakistani artists and also declared that the federation will not allow the release of Abir Gulaal. The statement further read, “FWICE would like to emphasise that any member of our organisation or its affiliate associations such as the actors, directors, other technicians and Producers or the Production houses found cooperating with Pakistani personnel will be subject to disciplinary action. Further, we will take all necessary steps to ensure that Abir Gulaal is not released in India.”
The Pahalgam terror attack took place on Tuesday when gunmen opened fire on tourists in the Baisaran valley of Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam. The attack claimed at least 26 lives.
