Pakistani ghazal singer Ghulam Ali, whose concert in Mumbai was called off after resistance from the Shiv Sena, has cancelled all his scheduled performances in the country, saying that he won’t return to India until “things are settled down”.
Ghulam Ali also expressed his disappointment over the recent incidents, asserting that Indian fans have always welcomed him and his music with open arms.
“I have cancelled all my future concerts in India, will never come back to India. I will not perform until things settle down. I’m hurt by recent incidents in India. As of now I have decided not to come to India. Indian fans have been very supportive. I’m a singer, I will talk about music, not politics,” the singer told CNN-IBN news channel.
All his scheduled concerts, including the one in Delhi on November 8, and another in Lucknow, have been scrapped.
According to a report in ibnlive.com, Ghulam Ali, who made an entry into Indian cinema with his popular song “Chupke chupke raat din” for B.R. Chopra’s “Nikaah”, is “hurt by the politics being played over his concerts in India” and “how political points were trying to score brownie points by not letting him perform in India”.
The singer was stopped from performing in Mumbai and in Pune last month after the Shiv Sena threatened to disrupt his concerts. It led to a debate, with artistes from all sections urging that art be kept out of politics. He had then said that he was sad, but his admiration for India remains undiminished.