Anupam Kher

Bollywood actor Anupam Kher never submitted any visa application for Pakistan, said Pakistan High Commission following the pro-BJP artist’s accusation that Islamabad denied him visa to attend Karachi literature festival.

“Have been informed that Pakistan MoFA has denied permission for my visa to participate in the Karachi Literature festival. Sad to have been denied visa on second time in a year, while around 17 people will participate in the Karachi Literature Festival as guests,” Anupam said on Twitter.

It was in May last year that the actor was denied a visa to Pakistan. He was due to visit Lahore for an event hosted by an NGO, but according to reports, back then it was denied on security grounds.

This time, he was invited as a guest at the three-day Karachi Literature Festival, which begins on Friday. Among the Indians who will be present at the festival are Laxmi Narayan Tripathi, Rahul Singh, Om Arora, Urvashi Butalia and Ashok Chopra.

Upset about the visa denial, Anupam tweeted: “Has my visa been denied because I speak about India’s rich tradition of tolerance or I am a Kashmiri Pandit who may expose Pak terror nexus? Indian government welcomes Pakistan based writers, artists, actors etc. Pakistan government bans entry of Indian actors. Why fear a free dialogue,” he tweeted.

Manzoor Ali Memon, a diplomat from the Pakistan High Commission, told media: “He (Anupam Kher) has not submitted (any) visa application. Please check out from him if he has any receipt.”

This, Anupam, said on a TV channel, is a “laughable explanation.”

The episode gave the Twitterati a chance to make jokes about the versatile actor’s claim. The most shared tweet was: “Anupam Kher thinks a visa is like Padma Bhushan – ‘you get it without applying.’

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