I'll go only if I get official invite from Pak Prez or PM: Javed

New Delhi, June 24: Noted poet and film writer Javed Akhtar, at the recieving end of a visa controversy wherein the Pakistani government initially denied him permission to visit Karachi for 'Mughal-e-Azam' premiere but later cleared it, today said he would now go to Pakistan only if he recieved an official invitation from the neighbouring country.

''Only if I recieve an official invitation from the Pakistani Prime Minister or President Musharraf will I consider going to the neighbouring country,''Javed Akhtar told UNI.

In fact, we were going there to participate in a noble gesture on the part of Akbar Asif who wanted us to attend the premiere today and participate in a telethon on TV tomorrow to generate funds for the earthquake victims of Pakistan.'' ''Instead of appreciating the fact that top Bollywood stars like Saif and Urmila, who are extremely busy in their film assignments, readily agreed to participate in the charity event just on the call of Akbar Asif and that too for free, the Pakistani authorities went ahead and withheld permission to a person who is heading the delegation,'' Mr Akhtar said.

Recounting the course of events in the controversy over the visa, Javed said,''all 22 members of the delegation had got their visa on June 20, but strangely I was informed on June 22 that out of the entire delegation only my visa was cancelled. When Akbar Asif same to know of this, he was extremely disturbed and in a communication to office of President General Pervez Musharaf office, a copy of which was sent to India's Ministry of External Affairs, said that if Javed Akhtar was not going , none of the other members in the delegation would go.

When I called up Pakistani High commissioner Aziz Ahmed Khan on June 22, he pleaded ignorance of the development and said he would get back to me. Meanwhile, after waiting for a response from the Pakistani establishment till yesterday afternoon, Akbar Asif called a press meet yesterday afternoon at 1500 hours saying he was cancelling the event. Soon thereafter he informed me about the cancellation and that the other members of the delegation were also unwilling to go. So, since yesterday afternoon, I had been giving a spate interviews to TV channels and the print media that we were not going to Pakistan. Then, at around 1900 hours yesterday, the office of Akbar Asif recieved a communication from the Pakistani authorities that my visa had been cleared. Later, at 2030 hours, I recieved a similar communication. However, by that time the news of the cancellation was there on all the news channels.''

Asked as to what could be the reason for denial of visa to him, Javed said,''perhaps it has to do with the fact that I have been expressing my opinion on several sensitive issues, specially through dialogues written by me for Farhan's 'Lakshya'. Probably, a film like 'Lakshya' did not go down too well with the Pakistani authorities.'' ''However, they had not imagined that the action of theirs would evoke such a sharp reaction from Akbar Asif and other members of the delegation as well as the Indian media who, almost with one voice, condemned the decision of the Pakistani government. This is what perhaps left them surprised and led to the belated clearance of the visa,''Javed said.

Lauding the gesture by Akbar Asif, he said,''Akbar Asif must be complemented for his gesture to cancel the event which could well have gone on without me. However, he chose to defer the event rather than go without me, thus putting down the drain the huge amount spent by him for the preparation of today's event.'' Expressing surprise at the Pakistani government's decision to initially withhold his visa, he said,''on one hand they are opening doors for Indian actors to work in their films (through recent amendments to its 1980 Film Rules Act), on the other hand they are not granting the visas of a head of delegation of actors going to Pakistan for a noble cause.'' However, he felt the Pakistani Governemnt's action did not reflect any rancour on part of the people in the neighbouring country towards indian people.

''People in Pakistan are in love with Indian film stars, Indian music and films. In fact, the recent decision to screen films in Pakistan is in part also impelled by the huge [popularity Indian films and actors enjoy among the Pakistani populace,''Javed said.

Meanwhile the course of events in the last two days has put into uncertainty the proposed premiere of 'Mughal-E-Azam' in Pakistan.

Though a spokeperson of the Sterling investment corporation, the negative right holders of the film, had said yesterday that fresh dates for the premiere could be decided after Javedsahib got his visa, the writer's unwillingness to go to Pakistan unless he gets an official invitation indicates that the premiere may not be happening after all.

UNI