In the second such protest against Observer Research Foundation (ORF) chairman Sudheendra Kulkarni, Shiv Sainiks on Tuesday attempted to disrupt a Press conference hosted by the Mumbai-Karachi Friendship Forum which had invited photographers from Pakistan as part of a peace initiative. Before the media interaction with the visiting Pakistani photo journalists could get underway at the Mumbai Press Club, the Shiv Sainiks barged into the venue and shouted slogans like ‘Sena zindabad’ and ‘Pakistan murdabad’. However, the Sena activists were swiftly escorted out of the venue by the Mumbai Police.
The same Shiv Sainiks, who later attempted to target Kulkarni’s car, were detained and taken to the nearby Azad Maidan Police Station.
Kulkarni, whose face the Sena activists had blackened ahead of the launch of Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri’s book in Mumbai in October last year, was chairing the media interaction with Pakistani journalists, when the Sainiks staged a protest.
ORF has launched a project 'Tasveer-e-Karachi' 'Tasveer-e-Mumbai' under which five photographers visit each other's countries as “messengers of peace”.
While the five photo journalists from Pakistan arrived in the city on June 20 and will return on June 30, the Indian contingent is expected to travel to Karachi in the first week of July.
Unfazed by the ruckus, Kulkarni, erstwhile speech writer of BJP patriarch lK Advani, said, “They (Shiv Sena) threatened us, saying we should not allow any Pakistani to enter Mumbai.
Inspite of their threat, we conducted a programme last year for the release of Khursid Mehmood Kasuri's book in Mumbai. We shall do so again and again.” He said Mumbai did not belong to these people, who claim to be the “sole preservers, protectors of the national interest”.
“We are also patriots....we equally condemn terrorism, religious extremism, but we shall not bow before these extremists, who want to stop us from promoting India-Pakistan friendship,” Kulkarni said.
He later said that Sena activists tried to hit his car after the presser ended. “While I was conducting the Press conference, Sena workers barged in and created a ruckus shouting slogans like 'Sena zindabad' and 'Pakistan murdabad'. Also, when I was going back after conducting the Press conference, they tried to hit my car,” Kulkarni said.
Questioning the logic of Sena in opposing entry of Pakistanis to Mumbai over backing terrorism against India, Kulkarni said, “All Pakistanis are not terrorists. There is a strong section there that condemns terrorism and are victims of terrorism themselves.”
On 'Tasveer-e-Karachi' 'Tasveer-e-Mumbai, he said, “This is an example of photography for peace. Terrorists shoot with guns, they (photographers) shoot with cameras. Sena should see the difference because Uddhav Thackeray (Sena president) himself is a very good photographer. He should honour his own photographic fraternity.”
He further said that Government of India, the security forces and Prime Minister Narendra Modi were capable of responding effectively to the threat of terrorism.
“People of both countries want to live in peace. This can happen with more people-to-people contact so that the constituency of peace and friendship becomes strong.”