Are the Khans anti-nationals?

Shah Rukh has found himself in the midst of a controversy over his comments on inclusion of Pakistani players in the IPL (Indian Premier League) cricket matches. The comment has enraged Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray because according to him it's like encouraging enemies to invade our own country.

However his outburst on SRK didn't go down well with the film fraternity and especially not with the other two reigning (and also warring) Khans, Aamir and Salman. They seem to have suddenly bonded over this controversy. According to Aamir, if any cricketer is good, he would like to have him in his team, regardless of the country he belongs to. And Salman Khan went a step further and commented, "SRK doesn’t owe an apology to Shiv Sena."

We asked our readers what they thought about the comment and whether or not Bal Thackeray is justified. This is what they had to say...

Any sport should be played for the sheer spirit of sportsmanship. Pakistani players indeed should be invited because politics and sports aren't inter-related. SRK is justified in his stance. Sports are played for bridging the gap and not breaking the bridge. The politicians are using sports as a weapon to demoralise the peace talks and create animosity in people’s minds.

Musshir Khan, 27, Executive Producer of a TV channel


Since Pakistan is not co-operating and is not ready to bow down, even we should refrain from co-operating and should not invite the players into our country. Every country has a give and take relationship. Therefore no relation should be maintained by India until things are sorted. SRK, Aamir and Salman are not anti-nationals nor is Bal Thackeray justified. But a certain protocol should be followed for our safety and self respect.

Tejas Oak, 21, student


I feel there is no harm in calling the Pakistani players to our country. Cricket is a sport and politics should not be dragged into it. SRK, Aamir and Salman are totally justified in their statements and I second them. Bal Thackeray, with respect to patriotism, may be defensible but calling these actors anti-nationals is not right. Nationality should not restrict the players from playing. There is no harm in inviting them.

Divya Rajan, 25, Singer


I clearly don’t agree that SRK, Salman and Aamir are anti-nationals. Even our Union Minister of Home Affairs P.Chidambaram supported the fact that the players should be invited to India and so do I. Bal Thackeray is not justified in his statements. In fact making such statements for the people of our country is unethical.

Rahul, 30, Businessman


The country has given celebrities a lot and vice versa, so they are no backstabbers. They’re only trying to do their bit to maintain the humanity. But I feel the Pakistan players should not be invited because they haven't done anything good for us. Bal Thackrey is justified only when he is restricting the Pakistani players otherwise making unhealthy remarks against the people of our own country is not acceptable. He should not make judgments based on someone else’s perception.

Tuhina Shah, 32, Marketing head

Whose side are you on? Leave us a comment and let us know

P.S: Shouldn't the real question be if SRK is pro Pakistani cricketers, why didn't he himself bid for them?