Javed Akhtar on AIMPLB distancing itself from members' Taliban praise: It's not enough

Veteran lyricist-writer Javed Akhtar on Tuesday said it is shocking that two members of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board have expressed “extreme happiness” at the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan and asked the organization to make its stand clear.

The AIPLMB has distanced itself from its members' remarks, saying they were made in a personal capacity, but Akhtar asserted it should give a stronger reaction.

''Shockingly, two members of Muslim personal law board have expressed their extreme happiness at the take over of AFG by the Barbarian Taliban's Although the board has distanced itself it is not enough (sic),'' Akhtar posted on Twitter.

The AIMPLB last week issued a statement clarifying that the board has neither expressed any view nor given any statement on the Taliban and the recent political situation of Afghanistan.

''Opinion of some Board members has been portrayed as the Board’s stand by few media channels and wrong things are being attributed to the Board. These practices are against the spirit of journalism. Media Channels must refrain from such acts and no news regarding the Taliban should be attributed to the @AIMPLB_OFFICIAL,'' the body tweeted.

Akhtar's tweet comes a day after the Indian Muslims for Secular Democracy (IMSD), in a statement signed by 128 people, including Akhtar and actors Shabana Azmi and Naseeruddin Shah, said it rejects the “idea of a theocratic state anywhere in the world”.

“It, therefore, questions the legitimacy of the ‘Islamic Emirate’ the Taliban seek to impose on the war-torn, war-weary people of Afghanistan who are yearning for peace,'' it said.

''We are deeply disturbed by the euphoria evident among a section of Indian Muslims, including religious leaders such as the office bearers of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB), Maulana Umrain Mahfuz Rahmani and Maulana Sajjad Nomani, and the Jamaat-e-Islami-Hind, over the Taliban’s capture of power,” the statement further read.

The signatories of the IMSD statement include journalists, lawyers, students, academicians, civil society activists, and members of the film fraternity.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)