Shabana Azmi, Javed Akhtar cancel Karachi Arts Council event after Pulwama attack
Mumbai : Veteran actor Shabana Azmi on Friday said she and her husband, lyricist-writer Javed Akhtar, have decided not to attend Kaifi Azmi's birth centenary celebrations in Karachi in the wake of Pulwama terror attack.
The couple was invited to Pakistan by the Karachi Arts Council for a two-day event.
@Javedakhtarjadu and I were invited for a 2 day event celebrating Kaifi's Centenary and were truly looking forward to it. I appreciate that our hosts the Karachi Arts Council mutually agreed to cancel the event at the nth hour in the wake of Pulwama attack, Azmi posted on Twitter.
"Karanchi art council had invited Shabana and me for a two day lit conference about Kaifi Azmi and his poetry. We have cancelled that," Akhtar added.
Azmi said after the attack, she feels weakened in her belief that people to people contact can force the establishment to do the right thing.
"We will need to call halt to cultural exchange... There is no way we can carry on with cultural exchanges between India and Pakistan even as our martyrs are laying down their lives for us. I stand in solidarity with the grieving families," she wrote.
Azmi, however, said one should differentiate between the establishment and the people.
"But lets not lose sight of the fact that there is a difference between the Pakistani Establishment and the people of Pakistan and vice versa. On both sides of the border stand sisters and brothers divided by circumstances with which they had nothing to do," she added.
In one of the deadliest terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir's three decades of militancy, a Jaish suicide bomber rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into a CRPF bus in Pulwama district, killing at least 40 personnel and leaving many critically wounded.
Azmi condemned the attacks and said she stands united with the grieving families.
Will there be no let to these heinous attacks? These mindless killings. This utter disregard for human lives? Extremely shocking news coming from Pulwama. I strongly condemn the worst terror attack on CRPF convoy, she wrote.
Akhtar, who had penned the CRPF anthem which was launched in 2014, also took to Twitter to pay his condolences.
I have a special relation with CRPF. I have written their anthem before putting the pen to paper I met a number of CRPF officers and whatever I learned, my respect, admiration and love for these braves increased by many a fold. Today I share the grief of the dear ones of the martyrs, he wrote.
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189 cases of major election violations booked in Karnataka: EC
Bengaluru (PTI): As Karnataka gears for the first phase of Lok Sabha elections on April 26, the Election Commission on Wednesday said all the polling stations in the Bangalore Rural and Mysore constituencies will be webcast. As of now, a total of 189 cases have been booked against political parties or candidates for major violations under the Model Code of Conduct (MCC), they said.
Addressing a press conference, Karnataka Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Kumar Meena said 1.4 lakh polling officials will be on duty at the 30,602 polling stations across the 14 constituencies which are going for polls in the first phase on Friday.
Besides them, 5,000 micro observers, 50,000 civil police personnel, 65 companies of Central Parliamentary Force and State Armed Police force of other states will also be deployed for security at these polling stations, he said.
"All the 2,829 polling stations of Bangalore Rural parliamentary constituency will be 100 percent webcast. This is as per the request of our returning officers and observers; so we have given more than double central parliamentary force for the Bangalore Rural Constituency. Seven companies of central paramilitary forces have been inducted at the constituency since April 22," he said.
The 14 segments facing polls in the first phase are: Udupi-Chikmagalur, Hassan, Dakshina Kannada, Chitradurga, Tumkur, Mandya, Mysore, Chamarajanagar, Bangalore Rural, Bangalore North, Bangalore Central, Bangalore South, Chikkballapur and Kolar.
There are a total of 2,88,19,342 electors in these constituencies -- 1,44,28,099 male, 1,43,88,176 female and 3,067 third gender.
