Rahul Aggarwal, of the Executive Body of IMMPA publicly resigned from his post after the ban imposed on Pakistani artists and technicians citing the reason that “art is above politics”.
“I strongly feel that art is above politics and as the custodians of this art; it is our responsibility to bring people together rather than divide them,” said Rahul Aggarwal in his resignation posted on Facebook.
In a heartfelt resignation letter, Aggarwal maintained that banning each other is not the solution, rather bringing everyone together and showing the world that terrorism cannot divide Pakistan and India can become a beacon for acceptance and hope.
He added that acceptance and hope are the two characteristics that are the complete opposites of the fundamentalists that want India and Pakistan to go to war with one another.
“It is we the people of both countries who have the power to bring real change and I believe that this change could have been brought about by further strengthening our ties with Pakistani artists of all kinds and not banning them. Rather than breeding discord, our actions and decisions should unite. Rather than hatred and war, our words should bring peace and harmony. And believe me when I say this, the common man of both these countries wants peace,” reads Aggarwal’s resignation letter.
I believe that the soft power of art is sometimes more effective than the hard line of sanctions and war. Kindly accept my resignation.
In the wake of the current hostile situation between India and Pakistan, Indian Motion Picture Producers Association (IMPPA) on Thursday passed a resolution to temporarily ban all Pakistani artists in India.
It has been reported that IMPPA has passed the resolution to ban Pakistani actors, actresses and technicians in India till the situation gets normal.
