Pakistani singer Rahat Fateh Ali Khan deported from Hyderabad

Renowned singer Rahat Fateh Ali Khan was deported from the Hyderabad on Thursday when he reached at the city s Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA).

According to a report in Times of India, immigration rules in India state that any Pakistani national wanting to enter India can only do so through select cities.

The ghazal maestro was on his way to Hyderabad from Abu Dhabi to take part in the programme organised by Taj Falaknuma Palace in Hyderabad on Thursday for New Year’s eve.

As per the report, the immigration authorities at the airport attributed the singer’s deportation to “technical flaws”, as Pakistani nationals can enter India by air only through the four metros – Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai.

Within moments of landing in Hyderabad on an Emirates flight, singer Rahat Fate Ali Khan was barred entry and asked to return to Abu Dhabi.

However, immigration officials refrained from confirming the same and said that the deportation was due to a “technical issue with his documentation”. “This system has been put in place to monitor the movement of Pakistani nationals in and out of the country”, he added. Reports said that he was able to perform at the event. When contacted, a member of the event organizing team, Apurva, confirmed the same to TOI.

The singer then took a flight from Hyderabad to Abu Dhabi then he returned to New Delhi and from there he came to Hyderabad through a chartered plane.