Veteran actress Samina Peerzada has spoken openly about her desire to reunite with her Indian friends and called for visa-on-arrival facilities between India and Pakistan to make travel easier for citizens of both countries.
Speaking in a recent interview, Peerzada said that the barriers to travel weigh heavily on her. “I have so many dear friends in India, in Delhi and Mumbai. I miss them, I think about them, and my heart feels sad because I cannot meet them. I am sure they feel the same way about me. I want to see them again,” she said.
She described a specific wish close to her heart. “It is my wish to travel to Amritsar, reach the border from our side, and receive an Indian visa there. Likewise, our friends coming from India should be able to get a visa when they arrive here,” she said.
Peerzada stressed that artists have always found ways to stay connected and that this spirit should extend to ordinary travel.
“First of all, we should spread love and keep meeting each other. As artists, we will continue to meet one another no matter what, because we will always find ways to stay connected,” she pointed out.
She also questioned why meetings that happen freely in third countries remain impossible at home.
“I sincerely hope that if we can continue meeting in foreign countries, whether in London, Dubai, or elsewhere, then why can’t we meet in Lahore? Why can’t we meet in Delhi? Why can’t we meet in Mumbai? Why can’t we meet in Karachi?”
Samina Peerzada is one of Pakistan’s most respected figures in film, television, and theatre. She began her career as a model in 1974 and went on to act in several films including Nazdikiyan, Bulandi, and The Blood of Hussain.
On television, she earned wide recognition through dramas such as Zindagi Gulzar Hai, Dastaan, and Durr-e-Shahwar. She also stepped behind the camera as a director, with her 1999 film Inteha winning nine national awards and marking the cinematic debut of Humayun Saeed.
In 2017, she launched Rewind with Samina Peerzada, a YouTube talk show that became one of Pakistan’s most watched celebrity interview platforms.
