Rahat Fateh Ali’s concert cancelled in India amid rising tension

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 singer Rahat Fateh Ali Khan was to perform in Noida, India in November, but organisers have reconsidered inviting the singer for the concert.

A source from the organising team told Times of India, “We had thought of starting [our concert] series with Shafqat [Amanat Ali], tentatively on the weekend after Diwali, followed by Rahat’s performance later in the month.”

“It’s impossible to hold big concerts in the malls during the festive season because there are a number of other activities happening. So we had deferred the concerts to November. But now, in the current political climate, it would be unwise to have Pakistani artists performing here. So we are looking for other options.”

The organisers had specifically planned to bring Rahat over because he “has never performed in Noida and naturally, the build-up to his concert [would have been] big.”

Earlier, 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.