As tensions continue to simmer between India and Pakistan following a military escalation earlier last month, Pakistani artists remain at the heart of a complex cultural standoff. While the political climate has led to a renewed clampdown on Pakistani artists in India, actress Mahira Khan is calling for calm, and to invest in local entertainment.

While in the US to promote her recently released film Love Guru alongside co-star Humayun Saeed, Khan addressed the issue of Pakistani artists being banned in India during a meet-and-greet session with fans. The Raees star, who shared the screen with Shah Rukh Khan in her Bollywood debut before the 2016 ban on Pakistani actors, offered a layered take on the issue.

“I think we need to focus inwards, I think we need to focus on our own industries,” she said in response to a question. “I’m not a person who believes in cancel culture. And I’m talking broadly. I do not believe in bans and stuff like that,” Khan added.

This isn’t the first time Khan has championed cross-cultural artistic freedom. After the 2017 cultural fallout between India and Pakistan, the very year Raees came out and she couldn’t be in India for its promotions, Khan expressed sadness over how politics had overshadowed her project.