In an interview to Outlook Turning Points, the actor recently said, “I sometimes become the inadvertent object of political leaders who choose to make me a symbol of all that they think is wrong and unpatriotic about Muslims in India... I have been accused of bearing allegiance to our neighbouring nation rather than my own country...”
Saeed, in an interview aired by Pakistan’s Express TV channel, responded: “Shah Rukh is welcome in Pakistan and he can live here for as long as he wants.”
When contacted, the actor, who is presently in the UK, refused to comment on Saeed’s statement. But a source close to him told HT, “Shah Rukh is quite pained by the remark. He had made the comments regarding his religion only to point out how he remains fiercely patriotic to India with a disregard for those who wish to drag his identity as a Muslim in the way of him being loved by millions of fans. He’s one of India’s most secular actors.”