Shafqat Amanat Ali: India should lift the ban on Pakistani artistes

Pakistani singer Shafqat Amanat Ali, who got a break in Bollywood courtesy Shankar Mahadevan, went on to sing the chartbuster song ‘Mitwa’ from ‘Kabhie Alvida Na Kehna’. The singer is at present wondering why the ban on Pakistani artists have not been lifted by India when all the other trade between the two countries is intact.

The singer is known for his hit Bollywood numbers such as ‘Tere Naina’, ‘Allah Waariyan’, ‘Bin Tere’ and ‘Dildaara’. The singer’s show in Bengaluru was canceled due to the ban imposed.

India had imposed a ban on Pakistani artists in the wake of heightened tensions with India over the September 18, 2016 terror attack at Uri. The Uri attack had led the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) in Mumbai to give an ultimatum to Pakistani artistes to leave India. Indian Motion Pictures Producers Association (IMPPA) also passed a resolution to ban Pakistani artistes from working in India.

Shafqat Amanat Ali said, “Art and entertainment industry is a soft target. They know that they can’t fight back, so just ban it. It is very easy. Otherwise, there is lot of trade that is happening between India and Pakistan. If you go to the Attari-Wagah border, one can see trucks bringing goods and exchanging goods from both the sides. That import and export business is running full-fledged.”

He further added, “If you talk to people who visited Pakistan to support their team in the last India-Pakistan match, (they will say) they went back after a very emotionally charged trip. They were given so much love. And we also received a lot of love, respect and appreciation for our work in India. I miss performing in India and it is high time that they lift the ban.”

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Also Read: Shafqat Amanat Ali would love to sing for Amitabh Bachchan