Actor-turned-politician Kamal Haasan advocates for a plebiscite in Kashmir, asks what the government is 'scared of | Photo Credit: PTI

Chennai: Actor-turned-politician Kamal Haasan, on Monday, asked why the government was not holding a plebiscite in Kashmir and questioned what the government was 'afraid of'. Referring to Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) as 'Azad Kashmir', Haasan said that if India wanted to prove that it is a 'better country', then it should 'not behave like this'. He said this in reference to the situation in Kashmir. Haasan was being asked to comment on the Pulwama suicide attack, by Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist, which resulted in the death of 40 CRPF jawans.

"I truly regret when people say army men are going to Kashmir to die. The army itself is an old fashioned thing. Like how the world changed, How we decided that humans will not kill each other for food, likewise a time will come to stop fighting. Has the civilisation not learnt this in the past 10 years?" Haasan said while addressing a gathering in Chennai.

​"When I was running a magazine called 'Maiyam' I have written about Kashmir issue and what is expected. I mourn this day because I forecasted that this is what will happen, unfortunately, I should have predicted something else. Hold plebiscite and make people talk...why have they not conducted it? What are they scared of? They want to divide the nation that's all. Why don't you ask them again? They won't do it? Now it (Kashmir) belongs to India, the same situation prevails across the border," Haasan said on being questioned about the Pulwama terror attack on CRPF convoy in which 40 jawans lost their lives.

"In Azad Kashmir, they are using Jihadi's pictures in trains to portray them as heroes, that is also a foolish thing to do. India also behaves with an equal amount of foolishness, it's not fair. If we want to prove that India is a far better country, then we should not behave like this. There begins the politics, there begins the new political culture," he further said.