Zeenews Bureau
Islamabad: India on Tuesday dismissed Pakistan Interior Minister Rehman Malik’s suggestion that New Delhi provide security to Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan.
Home Secretary RK Singh said India is quite capable of taking care of the security of its people.
Singh further asked Malik to look after the security of Pakistani citizens and not to worry about Shah Rukh Khan.
"We are capable of looking at the security of our own citizens. Let him (Rehman Malik) worry about his own," Singh said.
Rehman Malik has created controversy when he requested the Indian Government to provide security to Shah Rukh Khan.
Singh was reacting to Malik’s remarks that the Indian government should provide security to Shah Rukh following the actor’s remarks about the problems purportedly faced by Indian Muslims.
"He (Shah Rukh) is born Indian and he would like to remain Indian, but I will request the government of India (to) please provide him security. I would like to request all Indian brothers and sisters and all those who are talking in a negative way about Shah Rukh, they should know he is a movie star," Malik had said.
Noting that Shah Rukh is loved by the people of Pakistan and India, Malik had said: "I am sure all those who are talking against him or are trying to threaten him, they will withdraw their threat with this hope that the stars are loved, the stars provide love and they are like a symbol of unity".
The Pakistani minister had made the remarks while interacting with reporters at a reception organised by High Commissioner Sharat Sabharwal to mark India's Republic Day.
He was responding to questions about a first-person account penned by Shah Rukh in a magazine, in which the star focused on his experiences as a Muslim in the post-9/11 world.
(With PTI inputs)
First Published: Tuesday, January 29, 2013, 10:51