The lyricist was responding to the audience saying: "You have visited Pakistan so many times. When you go back, do you tell your people that these are good people, they aren't just bombing us but also greeting us with garlands and love?"
Akhtar replied: "We should not blame each other. It will solve nothing. The atmosphere is tense, which should be doused. We are people from Mumbai, and we have seen the attack on our city. They (the attackers) did not come from Norway or Egypt. They are still roaming free in your country. So if there is anger in the Hindustani's heart, you can't complain," as per reports.
India has hosted Pakistani greats such as Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Mehdi Hassan, and Faiz Ahmed Faiz, but Pakistan never had a Lata Mangeshkar show, Akhtar pointed out.
His comments in Pakistan are being equated on social media to the surgical strikes.
Akhtar, in his starting remarks, shared that Faiz is widely followed and read in India even today.
"His works had some magic. They are published and read not just in Urdu, but also in Devnagri. His fans are not limited to Pakistan or India," said Akhtar, Express Tribune reported.
