“This will not do”: Javed Akhtar in strong-worded message for Pakistan after Pahalgam terror attack

Veteran lyricist and writer Javed Akhtar has strongly denounced the April 22 terror strike in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam that left 26 civilians injured, calling for firm and lasting action to prevent such tragedies from recurring.

In a conversation with news agency ANI on the sidelines of a seminar in Mumbai, Akhtar criticised the alleged role of Pakistan in the attack and urged the Indian government to respond with concrete measures against cross-border terrorism.

“I hope that this time, the government takes some solid, definitive steps, that it should be told to the establishment of Pakistan, that this will not do,” he told ANI, emphasising the need for decisive action.


Referring to Pakistan’s alleged role in the attack, Akhtar questioned repeated denials from across the border.

“Lakhs of times they have said that they have no establishment, that we have no connection. So is it believable that such people can come here, and can do this in this way, and then where did they go? Did they run away and leave for Germany? We don’t get our border from Germany. We don’t know where they went,” he said, highlighting the implausibility of Pakistan's disassociation.

“What will they gain from shooting innocent tourists?” Akhtar asked.

'What will you gain from it?'

Expressing anguish over the targeting of civilians, Akhtar said, “What are they doing? What will you gain from it? What will they get? I don’t understand. You are an innocent tourist, and you are shooting them, point-blank. What will you gain from it? I don’t understand.”

He also addressed the broader India-Pakistan tension in light of repeated terror attacks, saying, “Tension is there, how can it not be there? If such things keep happening, and after a few days, you see what happens every year or two years, if there is no tension, then what will happen? How can it not be there?”

Akhtar’s comments come in the wake of one of the deadliest civilian attacks in Kashmir since the 2019 Pulwama bombing. The Pahalgam assault has reignited debate over Pakistan’s alleged support for terrorism, with Indian authorities initiating a strong diplomatic response.

(With inputs from ANI)