Islamabad, July 20 (Online): Pakistani artist and filmmaker Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Junior, the grandson of former Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, refused to participate in a film festival in Germany while expressing solidarity with the Palestinians.
According to the details, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Junior, son of Mir Murtaza Bhutto, announced in his Instagram post that he will no longer participate in the festival organized by the Goethe Institute of Germany. Will
“In solidarity with Mohammed El Kurd and the Palestinian people I have withdrawn my film Heaven 58 from a film festival hosted by the @goetheinstitut. The Goethe Institute recently withdrew an invitation from El Kurd. This move clearly shows the institute’s anti-Palestinian and clearly pro-Zionist stance. #palestine #goethe” grandson of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto wrote on his Instagram account.
“I am withdrawing my film from the festival as it just came to my attention that it is hosted by the Goethe Institute. The Goethe Institute recently withdrew an invitation to Palestinian activist and poet Mohammad Al Kurd. As a matter of solidarity with the Palestinian people I refuse to participate in any Goethe Institute events” he replied to Goethe Institute.
Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Jr. wrote that the ‘Goethe Institute’ first invited Palestinian writer Muhammad Al-Kurd to the festival last month and later canceled his invitation, due to which he did not participate in the festival held under the banner of the said institution.
He also thanked the fans in his post and also apologized to them. In the caption of the said post, he said that he was going to participate in the ’58 Heaven Film Festival’ in Germany, in which his film was to be presented, but he came to know that the said film festival was also organized by the ‘Goethe Institute’, so he decided not to attend. He also described the Goethe Institute as anti-Palestinian and pro-Judaism.
Before Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Junior, last June, Pakistani journalist and novelist Muhammad Hanif also refused to participate in the Goethe Institute festival, expressing solidarity with Palestinian writer Muhammad Al-Kurd.
Muhammad Hanif was invited by the Goethe Institute to the conference held in Hamburg from June 23 to 26 last month.
Apart from the Pakistani journalist, writers, historians and journalists from all over the world have been invited to the said conference.
In the same conference, Palestinian resistance poet and writer Muhammad Al-Kurd was also invited, but later the ‘Goethe’ administration canceled his invitation and invited another person in his place.
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