The recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, has left the nation shaken. Citizens and celebrities alike have expressed their grief and outrage over the tragedy, which left over two dozen dead. Among them is actor Emraan Hashmi, who, in a recent interview with Vishal Malhotra, described the attack as “cowardly” and called for decisive action. He expressed hope that the government would ensure justice. “I hope the government sets this right and takes a payback,” he said.
He also mentioned possible security lapses at such a prominent tourist spot. Speaking about the attack, he said, “I mean obviously humare security agencies aur jo isse theek tarah se jaante hai woh toh… they have a detailed lowdown of this… (Our security agencies and those who understand these things have a detailed understanding of it). Of course, humari intelligence bohot achi hai (our intelligence is very good)… but wahan par bhi ek sawaal uth raha hai ki thoda si wahan par security honi chahiye (questions are being raised about the need for security there too).”
He continued, “But it was a huge meadow… toh kitne aap apne officers ya jawan ko deploy karenge (how many officers or soldiers can you deploy)? But it was a tourist hotspot… woh log jo aaye thay… ek bohot hi well-planned attack tha (those people who came… it was a very well-planned attack)… kyunki it was at the heart of that tourist attraction… wahan pe paas mein koi raste nahi thay (because there were no nearby escape routes)… they just fled… it’s a cowardly attack.”
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He urged that the attack should not be used to stoke religious hatred. “Of course, terrorism never has a religion… ek skewed aur warped ideology hoti hai unki (they have a skewed and warped ideology)… humare religion mein toh kabhi nahi sikhaya jata hai (our religion never teaches such things),” he said. He emphasised unity in the face of tragedy, urging people to stand together as a nation.
On the work front, Emraan Hashmi was last seen in the Kashmir-set film Ground Zero, which was released just two days after the Pahalgam attack. The film has made around Rs 5 crore at the box office.
