According to The Economic Times, world’s legendary actor, Shahrukh Khan was detained by the immigration authorities at New York airport. It was because of his Muslim name that his name popped up during immigration check at the airport and he was stopped to leave the airport. He was allowed to go only after his hosts intervened and took up the issue with the Department of Homeland Security in Washington. According to some other newspapers, it was not the first time Khan had to bear this insulting behavior; even in August 2009 he was stopped at the Newark Airport and was released after two hours at the intervention of the Indian consulate in New York. That time he was heading towards Chicago to participate in an Independence Day celebration event. Detention of Mr Khan at the American airport was taken as an insult and humiliation by the whole of Indian nation. External Affairs Minister S M Krishna asked Indian envoy Nirupama Rao to lodge protest with US. The Union Minister Rajiv Shukla said criticizing the whole episode, "This is something very wrong and unfortunate if you keep on detaining someone on the basis of his Muslim name. Dr Kalam and other persons had also faced the similar harassment in the past.” Feeling the rising temperature of the government of India and the Indian people, the US authorities wasted no time in apologising to Indian Consulate over Shahrukh Khan's detention at a New York airport. The whole issue of Shahrukh Khan’s detention and apology from the US authorities must serve as an eye-opener for the whole of Muslim community as well as to the people of Pakistan. It is nothing but hatred against the Muslims that even the computers on US airports at once start blinking ‘red-alert’ whenever someone with a Muslim name appears for immigration. Moreover it is also something not to be ignored that up till today the US authorities have been flatly refusing to apologise for the brutal killing of soldiers of Pakistan army at Salalah Check Post by the US army troops. It means that for the US authorities, the honour and prestige of an Indian film actor is far more precious than the lives of Pakistani soldiers. And more heart-rending is the fact that in spite of this mocking contradiction on the part of the US authorities, some of our leaders feel pride in being recognised and titled as US closest ally in its so-called war on terror.
PROFESSOR ALI SUKHANVER,
Multan, April 14.