Last Updated:
Pakistani stars like Mahira Khan and Fawad Khan face immense backlash for opposing India’s anti-terror strike, despite working in Bollywood.
Pakistani actors have been called out for their hypocrisy over Operation Sindoor.
Pakistani actors including Mahira Khan, Hania Aamir and Fawad Khan have landed in hot water after condemning India’s Operation Sindoor, a “measured” and “non-escalatory” military retaliation by the Indian Armed Forces to the brutal terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which killed 26 tourists on April 22. The strike, jointly carried out by the Indian Army and Air Force, destroyed terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir on the intervening night of May 6 and 7, neutralising over 100 terrorists.
While Indians united in praise of the swift action, several Pakistani celebrities used social media to express their disapproval which has sparked fierce backlash and accusations of hypocrisy.
Mahira Khan, best known in India for her role opposite Shah Rukh Khan in the 2017 film Raees, was among the most vocal. In a lengthy Instagram post, she wrote, “I am grateful that I live in a country where I am not dictated to say what I have to. I have a voice and I CAN use it… India, your war and hate rhetoric has continued for many years… You attack cities in the middle of the night and call it a victory? Shame on you.”
Although her account, along with those of several Pakistani artists, has been blocked in India following the Pahalgam attack, screenshots of their posts circulated widely, especially through diaspora communities. Many users called out Mahira for her “selective outrage” and questioned why she had no issues working in Indian films earlier.
One user wrote on X (formerly Twitter), “Pakistani actress Mahira Khan, whose only claim to fame is a Bollywood film with Shah Rukh Khan and who recently had her X and Instagram accounts withheld in India, calls the Indian strikes on Jaish, Lashkar, and Hizbul terror infrastructure inside Pakistan cowardly.”
Another user slammed her, saying, “Mahira Khan defends the failed terrorist state of Pakistan which harboured Osama Bin Laden. She’s taken a political stand I hope she doesn’t seek work in Bollywood anymore speaking of ‘Aman and sukoon’.”
Pakistani actress Mahira Khan, whose only claim to fame is a Bollywood film with Shah Rukh Khan and who recently had her X and Instagram accounts withheld in India, calls the Indian strikes on Jaish, Lashkar, and Hizbul terror infrastructure inside Pakistan cowardly. pic.twitter.com/RTLzNDsoRf— Sonam Mahajan (@AsYouNotWish) May 7, 2025
Mahira Khan defends the failed terrorist state of Pakistan which harboured Osama Bin Laden. She’s taken a political stand I hope she doesn’t seek work in Bollywood anymore speaking of “Aman & sukoon” pic.twitter.com/crTnCRXeBi— Swati Chaturvedi (@bainjal) May 7, 2025
Hania Aamir and Fawad Khan, too, received flak for their criticism. Their comments were seen by many as not just anti-India but also as an indirect endorsement of terrorism. The criticism wasn’t limited to internet trolls. Many prominent voices questioned the double standards of Pakistani celebrities who have benefitted from Indian platforms but now stand in opposition when India defends itself.
The sentiment among Indians is clear that there’s no place for those who work in India’s entertainment industry but fail to stand against terrorism when it strikes the country.
Several users pointed out how these Pakistani actors, who once advocated for cultural collaboration and peace through art, were now supporting narratives that seemingly disregard the lives lost in terror attacks. “Twenty-six innocent people were killed in Pahalgam, and they have the audacity to shame a retaliation against that?” read another angry post.
- First Published:
