Here Is How Bollywood Played An Important Role In Indo-Pak Relation During Vajpayee Government

Political differences aside, art and culture has always been an uniting factor between the two countries. Especially, the stars of Bollywood has always been popular in Pakistan and they have always been loved and well received by the people of neighboring country.

During 1999, when the Indo-Pak relationship was tense due to the Kargil War, Atal Bihari Vajpayee who was the then Prime Minister of the country had a brilliant idea to initiate some peace talk.

He asked Bollywood legend Dilip Kumar to talk to the Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Dilip Kumar, whose original name was Mohammad Yusuf was born in Peshawar Pakistan and was loved by the Pakistani people. In fact Dilip Kumar was also honored by the Pakistani Government with their highest civilian honor, Nishan-e-Imtiaz and thus Vajpayee ji thought it would be a great idea to make Dilip Kumar talk to Nawaz Sharif.

This incident was mentioned in the book Neither a Hawk Nor a Dove by the ex Pakistani Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri.