Emmy Award Winner Hollywood actor Riz Ahmad said that Pakistan is like his ‘first love’, adding that he feels emotional coming back to the country. “Pakistan has a rich culture which I have always loved. Therefore, I wanted to come here again and again.” Riz was addressing the jam-packed session of Lahore Literary Festival (LLF) 2018 titled ‘MC Activist’ with renowned Pakistani writer Mohsin Hamid. Riz Ahmad further said that he had been in Pakistan in 2005 when he was just 13-year-old. I was stopped at Peshawar Cantt but later released on the condition that I would rap for the army soldiers, he said. “At that time I thought that Pakistanis took poetry too seriously.” Riz referred to Pakistan as his ‘ex’, adding that the country has changed a lot since he last visited. Riz also shared some of the harsh memories he faced in his childhood while living in London. He shared with the audience how he was bulled for his middle class background, for his religion and for his ethnicity. While commenting on the world politics, he said, “I don’t have any other choice but to engage with the issues of racism, migration, domestic violence, women’s issues, hatred because these issues had always touched my heart. Ahmad stressed on the need for meaningful interactions between Pakistanis and Pakistan diaspora. I would be pleased if the artists of Pakistan collaborate with me and other diaspora, he said. Author Mohsin Hamid observed that Lahore takes writings seriously. For me, reading and listening is like encountering other human beings,” he added. Published in Daily Times, February 25th 2018.