Musharraf wants India, Pak to open doors for artistes

A known Bollywood film-buff, former Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf has favoured enhanced contacts in the cultural field with India, saying the two countries should open doors for each other's artistes to help better ties.

A known Bollywood film-buff, former Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf has favoured enhanced contacts in the cultural field with India, saying the two countries should open doors for each other's artistes to help better ties.

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"Musharraf said that he has seen a number of Bollywood films and Indian actors are popular in his country too," BJP leader and actor turned politician Shatrughan Sinha said after meeting the former Pakistan military ruler at a private function in Dubai.

Sinha said Musharraf, who is a fan of Bollywood actresses Aishwarya Rai and Priyanka Chopra, emphasised on more intense cultural and film contacts between the two neighbours.

The Pakistani leader also stressed on opening up the countries for each other's artistes to expand the scope of exchange, the BJP MP from Patna Sahib told PTI.

Highlighting the issue of terrorism emanating from Pakistan, Sinha said he asserted that Islamabad should first stop it to prepare the ground for greater people-to-people contact.

"Terrorism emanating from Pakistani soil against India, the most dastardly example of which is 26/11 terrorists attack on Mumbai, should be stopped first to expand the ground for more close cultural and people-to-people contact between the two countries," Sinha told Musharraf.