New Delhi, August 8
Megastar Amitabh Bachchan today said he was prepared to appeal to the abductors and even go to Iraq if it would help secure the release of the hostages being held there, but said he had not been approached so far by the External Affairs Ministry or anyone else in the government in this regard.
Reacting to reports that the Kuwait transport company KGL and others had said his appeal could have an effect, the megastar said taking an individual stance would not be right as the government knew best how to deal with the issue and any interference could hamper the progress.
He told Sahara Samay (Rashtriya) in an interview that it “appears awkward’ that such a request should come from the militants or anyone else, but ‘if this is true, then I am prepared to appeal not once but a hundred times.” He repeated at another stage in the interview that he was prepared to even go to Iraq if an official request is made by the External Affairs Ministry or the government.
Reiterating he was prepared to do anything for his countrymen, he said the government may not approach an individual as it was capable of handling the crisis.
Meanwhile, stars Salman Khan and Preity Zinta have also made appeals to the abductors in Iraq to release the hostages who include three Indians. While Salman told Star News that the hostages were poor and innocent people, Preity called for peace in the world and said releasing the hostages would be a step in the right direction.
Meanwhile, former censor board chief and actress Asha Parekh, today said she was willing to appeal for the release of the three Indians held hostage by Iraqi abductors.
“If the government asks me to do so, why not. I am most willing. If it saves someone’s life, I will be ready to speak to them”, the actress said.
To a query whether she would be ready to fly down to make the appeal, she said, “I don’t think they want me to fly down. They wanted to speak to me on the telephone and I am ready to do so”.
The negotiator in Iraq Sheikh Hisham al-Dulaimi has demanded that superstar Amitabh Bachchan or Asha Parekh make an appeal for the release of Indian hostages.
— PTI
