Javed Akhtar slams India's 'reception' to Taliban minister: 'Hang my head in shame when I see...'

Screenwriter-lyricist Javed Akhtar

Poet, lyricist and screenwriter Javed Akhtar criticised the "reception" given to Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi during his visit to New Delhi.

Muttaqi is currently on a six-day visit to India. This is the first such trip to India by a Taliban leader since the group seized power in Afghanistan in 2021.

"I hang my head in shame when I see the kind of respect and reception has been given to the representative of the world's worst terrorist group Taliban by those who beat the pulpit against all kinds of terrorists," Akhtar wrote on X on Monday.

He also attacked the Darul Uloom Deoband in Uttar Pradesh's Saharanpur, one of the most influential Islamic seminaries in South Asia, for giving Muttaqi a "reverent welcome".

I hang my head in shame when I see the kind of respect and reception has been given to the representative of the world’s worst terrorists group Taliban by those who beat the pulpit against all kind of terrorists . Shame on Deoband too for giving such a reverent welcome to their “…

— Javed Akhtar (@Javedakhtarjadu) October 13, 2025

"Shame on Deoband too for giving such a reverent welcome to their “ Islamic Hero” who is one of those who have completely banned girls education. My Indian brothers n sisters !!! what is happening to us," Akhtar posted on X.

PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti also targeted the BJP-led government at the Centre, saying "embracing Taliban" while "targeting" Muslims of India is a stark reminder of the "internal hypocrisy" of the party.

Her remarks came at a time when India has decided to upgrade its ties with Afghanistan and Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi is visiting India.

"In the name of 'Love Jihad,' 'Land Jihad,' 'Vote Jihad' and 'Cow Jihad, the BJP has repeatedly targeted its own Muslim population propagating narratives that demonize them. At the same time India the mother of democracy under BJP has decided to embrace Taliban the harbinger of jihad," she charged in a post on X.

She said India has chosen to extend all kinds of aid to rebuild Afghanistan, including offering educational scholarships, to Afghan students. "While fostering good relations with Afghanistan may be strategically important it raises a glaring contradiction - India's own Muslim population who have contributed to the nation's independence, identity and progress are being systematically marginalised," the PDP president charged.

Mehbooba, a former chief minister of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, said maintaining international relationships is vital, but the foundation of a stable and harmonious nation lies in fostering trust, respect and equality within its own borders, particularly with its minority community.

Muttaqi, who is in India on a week-long visit, came under fire after his previous press interaction featured no women journalists. Photographs from the October 10 event showed a men-only press briefing addressed by the visiting Taliban leader, triggering condemnation from journalists, opposition leaders, and women’s rights advocates.