When actress Priyanka Chopra stepped on stage recently to speak in Los Angeles at Beautycon, a cosmetics industry event, she might have been prepared to answer questions about her self-care regimens, her husband (pop star Nick Jonas), unreasonable standards to which women’s bodies are held or her humanitarian work with Unicef, reports The Jakarta Post.
What she surely did not anticipate was a confrontation by a Pakistani-American woman who accused her of being a “hypocrite” for tweeting support for the Indian army.
The exchange between Chopra and Ayesha Malik, a 28-year-old beauty influencer from Anchorage, Alaska, took place during what was billed as a “fireside chat” with Chopra.
After the floor opened to questions from the audience, Ms Malik criticised Chopra over a Feb 26 tweet that read “Jai Hind” (“Long Live India”) and “#IndianArmedForces”.
The tweet came at a time of heightened tensions between Pakistan, which is majority Muslim, and India, which is majority Hindu.
“It was kind of hard hearing you talk about humanity because as your neighbour, a Pakistani, I know you’re a bit of a hypocrite,” Ms Malik said. “You’re a Unicef ambassador for peace and you’re encouraging nuclear war against Pakistan. There’s no winner in this.”
While she was speaking, Ms Malik’s microphone was taken away. Chopra asked if Ms Malik was done “venting” and then responded that while she does not support war, she does support India. “I have many, many friends from Pakistan, and I am from India, and war is not something I’m really fond of, but I am patriotic,” she said.
