Pakistani star Fawad Khan, condemned for being mum on the Uri terror attack which led to heightened tensions between India and Pakistan, on Friday said he is praying for "a more peaceful world".
After the killing of 19 Indian soldiers, most of the popular Pakistani artistes had maintained silence on the matter. After a long wait, Fawad has broken his silence.
In a Facebook post, Fawad, who recently welcomed a daughter with wife Sadaf Khan, wrote: "I've been in Lahore since July as my wife and I had been expecting our second child. I've received numerous requests from the media and from well-wishers worldwide asking me for my thoughts on the sad incidents that took place in the past few weeks.
"As a father of two little children, I pray and wish like many others that together we can build and live in a more peaceful world. I believe we owe it to our children who will shape our tomorrow."
Fawad added: "Please disregard any other words attributed to me during this time because I have not said them. I thank all my fans and fellow artists from Pakistan, India and people in general all over the world who have shown continued support for their belief in love and understanding to unite a divisive world."
The actor is a heartthrob in Pakistan and found popularity in India after his Pakistani shows "Humsafar" and "Zindagi Gulzar Hai" were aired in the country. He found his footing in Bollywood after featuring in films like "Khoobsurat" and "Kapoor & Sons".
His next is Karan Johar's "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil", which might face a roadblock in its release due to Fawad's presence in it.
After the September 18 Uri attack, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena had issued an ultimatum to Pakistani artistes to leave India and said they would not let their movies release in India.
The Indian Motion Picture Producers Association passed a resolution banning Pakistanis from working in films being made in India as they were upset that Pakistani artistes did not condemn the incident.
In retaliation, some Pakistani theatre chain owners banned the screening of Indian films.
Recently, popular Pakistani musicians like Shafqat Amanat Ali and Salman Ahmad had condemned the Uri attack and had hoped for normalcy to return in both the countries.