Aamir Khan is in Turkey to wrap up the shooting of his upcoming film Laal Singh Chaddha, a remake of the 1994 US comedy-drama Forrest Gump. While being there, Khan had requested to meet Turkish First Lady Emine Erdogan at the presidential residence, Huber Mansion in Istanbul on Saturday (August 15).
Reportedly, Khan in the meeting, discussed various social responsibility projects, one among which was Khan’s Water Foundation that he co-founded with his wife Kiran Rao to deliver water to drought-stricken areas in India. The pictures of the meeting are doing rounds on the internet.
After the meeting, Emine Erodgan shared some photos from the meeting and tweeted, “I had the great pleasure of meeting @aamir_khan, the world-renowned Indian actor, filmmaker, and director, in Istanbul. I was happy to learn that Aamir decided to wrap up the shooting of his latest movie ‘Laal Singh Chaddha’ in different parts of Turkey. I look forward to it!”
However, his meeting with Turkish First Lady didn't go well with Twitteratis. The meeting comes at the time when India share stained ties with Turkey. Netizens are saying, "It was unwise on behalf of Aamir to hold an official meet with the Turkish First Lady."
Notably, India's relationship with Turkey ruined after the abrogation of Article 370 in Kashmir last year. Turkey has continued to favor Pakistan on the Kashmir issue. A Turkish foreign ministry spokesperson recently also commented that removal of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir has not contributed to peace and stability in the region.
Reports have also emerged stating how Turkey has been funding anti-India activities where Erdogan has been vying to become the leader of the Islamic nations. The expansionist Turkish government is seeking to establish its dominance in the Islamic world through its conservatism and ‘Ottoman traditions’. It plans to achieve this by exerting its influence on South Asian Muslims. According to officials familiar with the security assessment, an extensive review was carried out to unravel the escalated anti-India activities that are perpetrated by Turkey in coordination with the deep state in Pakistan.
Reportedly, Erdogan is now funding religious seminars in India to radicalize Muslims. This includes taking them on a full-expense covered trip to Turkey for further indoctrination. “We are also aware of some people from this group traveling to Qatar to meet some people from Turkey to seek funding for their activities. That amounts as high as Rs 40 lakh is being offered to preach radical Islam in Kerala,” a government official was recently quoted as saying.
Netizens also pointed out that in 2018, when Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had visited India, Aamir Khan, along with Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan refrained from meeting him.
Here's the reaction of Twitteratis: