Lyricist and screenwriter Javed Akhtar has expressed strong criticism over the "warm reception" given to Afghan Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi during his visit to India, stating that he "hangs his head in shame" over the respect accorded to the representative of what he described as the world’s worst terrorist organization. Akhtar also directed sharp remarks at Darul Uloom Deoband, the influential Islamic seminary in Saharanpur, for welcoming Muttaqi, calling it a source of shame for the institution. The Taliban minister’s visit marks the first by a senior Taliban leader to India since the group regained control of Afghanistan in 2021.
In a post on X, Akhtar condemned the reverence shown to Muttaqi, highlighting the contradiction between the current reception and the past stance of religious authorities who had vocally opposed terrorism from pulpits. He criticized Deoband for providing such an honor to a figure responsible, in his view, for banning girls’ education in Afghanistan. Akhtar’s comments resonated widely on social media, with many users echoing his sentiment and calling the reception a "mega shame."
During his six-day visit, Muttaqi visited Darul Uloom Deoband and participated in a scholarly session studying Hadith under the guidance of rector Maulana Mufti Abul Qasim Nomani. Following this, he was granted permission to teach Hadith and awarded the Hadith sanad, allowing him to use the title ‘Qasmi’ to signify his academic connection to the institution. Although his visit to Agra and the Taj Mahal was cancelled, the Deoband visit received extensive media coverage.
Akhtar also criticized the exclusion of women journalists from Muttaqi’s press interaction in Delhi, lamenting that prominent female journalists were denied the opportunity to cover the event. The Taliban minister later clarified that the exclusion was due to a technical issue and that invitations were sent to a specific list of journalists without any broader intent to bar women.
Javed Akhtar has a history of speaking out against fundamentalism and extremism, often facing backlash from clerics and conservative groups. In September, an event organized by the West Bengal Urdu Academy had to be cancelled after threats from Islamic organizations. Despite such pressures, Akhtar has continued to voice his opposition to extremist ideologies, with his criticism of Muttaqi being a prominent recent example of his stance.
