As diplomatic war wages between India and Pakistan in the aftermath of the Uri attacks killing 18 of their soldiers. the movement to evict artistes from across the border has gained momentum in India.
Pakistani singers Shafqat Amanat Ali, who was set to perform in Bengaluru on September 30th, and Atif Aslam, who had a concert scheduled in Gurgaon on Oct 15th, will not be performing in India as their events have been cancelled, Indian Express reported.
“We decided to cancel the concert of Pakistani singer Shafqat Amanat Ali. We took this decision in the aftermath of Uri attacks,” Radio Mirchi Group Manager (Sales) Srinivas said.
Moreover, Atif Aslam’s gig was reportedly cancelled after members of the Akhil Bhartiya Hindu Kranti Dal approached deputy commissioner of Gurgaon TL Satyaprakash with their demand that the concert is called off. In view of a potential law and order situation, the organisers then decided to defer Aslam’s concert.
However, The Hindu reports that the organisers had decided to cancel the event indefinitely after the Uri attack.
Pakistani artistes find themselves in trouble following the friction between the two countries over Kashmir. Some in India have started opposing the work of Pakistani artistes in their country such as nationalist party Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) which seeks to eliminate the presence of Pakistani talent in India.
Earlier, Fawad Khan was asked to leave the country in an open letter by an Indian journalist for not showing solidarity to the victims of the Uri attack. However, many from Bollywood have extended their support towards Pakistani artistes working in India, stating that the issue lied with the governments of the two countries, not people in the performing arts.
In the meantime, a Rahat Fateh Ali Khan song has been removed from TP Agaarwal’s film Laali Ki Shaadi Mein Laddoo Deewana. The song will now be recorded by an Indian artiste.
