Responding to a question about hostility against Pakistani artists in India, Akhtar said, "Tali do hathonsebajti hai (It takes two to tango)."
Many in India have been demanding a ban on Pakistani artists working or performing in India.
Indian Union Minister Babul Supriyo had called for a temporary ban on Pakistani artists for working in the Indian cinema.
"Time probably says that we might want to exercise some restraint when it comes to using Pakistani artists in our films," said Supriyo who is a singer himself.
When a journalist asked Mr Akhtar about his opinion on the issue, he said, "Art and culture have been a one-way street for many years. Whenever Pakistani artists visited India, they enjoyed a grand welcome. Faiz Sahab was hosted in the governor's house. Have there been any public performances of Indian artists like Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle or Mohammed Rafi in Pakistan?"
"The fact is that Indian artists have been subjected hostility and boycott in Pakistan since long. And it still exists. So, it takes two to tango. We have played along for many years. But now there are some who refuse to play along. And we have no moral high ground to refute them."
Javed Akhtar and his wife Shabana Azmi are in Australia to perform his stage play "Kaif Aur Main."
