BJP Vice-President Baijayant Jay Panda on Wednesday claimed that he has come across threads on social media which revealed 'personal and business links' of some Bollywood personalities with 'Pakistanis and NRIs' having a track record of encouraging violence in Jammu and Kashmir. He urged 'patriotic Bollywoodies' to renounce such celebrities.
"Came across shocking threads documenting personal and business links of some Bollywood personalities with certain Pakistanis and NRIs with undeniable track record encouraging violence in Jammu and Kashmir, who have verifiable links to ISI and Pakistan army. I urge patriotic Bollywoodies to renounce them," Panda's tweet read.
What’s the controversy about?
The controversy erupted after pictures of Bollywood’s superstar Shahrukh Khan and his wife Gauri Khan with Kashmiri separatist Tony Ashai emerged on social media. It is pertinent to note that Tony Ashai who also goes by the name Aziz Ashai, has been instrumental in urging Kashmiri youth to fight against India.
A popular Srinagar-based activist who goes by the name Al iskandar @TheSkandar on Twitter posted a series of tweets claiming that Tony Ashai, also known as Aziz Ashai, has been a member of the terror group Jammu & Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) sponsored by ISI.
Quoting Ashai's incendiary tweets, Al iskandar tweeted that he "himself is sitting in the cozy rooms of California and provoking Kashmiri youth to pick up stones and guns while his own son Bilal Ashai recently graduated from Los Angeles, University of Southern California with Masters degree."
Tony Ashai, he said, has designed Shahrukh Khan's Dubai buildings and Los Angeles apartments. The Bollywood superstar, according to the Srinagar activist, hired Ashai as an architect. Khan's wife Gauri, he claimed is involved with Ashai in a lot of her projects.
Al iskandar said that "it's a well documented plan" for Tony Ashai to use his Bollywood influence. Shahrukh Khan, he said, is a patriotic person himself but is not aware about Tony Ashai's plans.
Aziz Ashai (Tony Ashai) went to university in Buffalo, US, completely funded by JKLF, he claimed adding that there was a JKLF meeting which happened after his graduation in Italy. Moreover his first business, Ashai Design was also funded by JKLF, he tweeted.
"$450k came from a shell company in Birmingham in autumn of 1992. Moreover, his son (Bilal Ashai) is a member of MSA which has links to The Muslim Brotherhood."
Posting Ashai's pictures with Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, Al iskandar claimed that Ashai "is on payroll of ISI, who is in touch with many people in Jammu and Kashmir and other parts of the country."
Sushant Singh Rajput Fan Club@amitmuny
Aneel Musarrat
Tony Ashai
The Pakistani sympathisers..
Direct link ups with Bollywood stars
Is this tolerable ?
Those represent our country , are actually spreading anti-india agendas.
BollywoodPakISILink
Candle4SSR
Boycott Ranveer Singh, Anil kapoor, Karan Johar
As the tweets went viral, many Twitter users dug out several pictures of Shahrukh, his wife and Tony on social media. Some users pulled out pictures of other stars like Anil Kapoor, Sonam Kapoor, Karan Johar and others with another anti-India activist based in the UK.
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