Shiv Sena forces cancellation of Ghulam Ali Programme in Mumbai

However, Delhi Tourism Minister Kapil Mishra on 8 October extended an invite to Ali to perform in the capital. West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee tweeted: “Music has no boundaries”.

The concert in Mumbai which was scheduled for Friday, October 9 was supposed to be a tribute to late ghazal singer Jagjit Singh on his fourth death anniversary.

Interestingly, Ghulam Ali, who is in his early 70’s, had performed another concert in the famous Sankat Mochan in Varanasi, the assembly constituency of prime minister Narendra Modi, and the event concluded without any external interventions.

“It is true that Pakistan continues to target Indian forces at the LOC and a few of our soldiers have died in firing from across the border”. So they’ve gone back to the politics that gave them their oxygen all those years ago: intimidating the state into submission by targeting a familiar “enemy”.

“If the government has given permission to Ghulam Ali (to perform), it is our responsibility to take care of his security… He was like a brother to me”, he said.

The Pakistani ghazal singer said he was not angry with the move, but felt hurt.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had snubbed the Sena’s threats saying that adequate protection will be provided at the concert.

Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray said, “Cultural ties can not be seen in isolation when Pakistan is ruthlessly killing Indian soldiers”.

Afterward, Ghulam Ali, in an interview, stated that he was not annoyed, but really upset.

Despite the cancellation causing a stir in the society, the youth wing of the Shiv Sena on Thursday said it won’t be proper to host shows by Pakistani artistes in India as long as tensions continued on the India-Pakistan borders.

Gazal maestro Ghulam Ali’s much awaited concert was called off in Mumbai following strong objection raised by Shiv Sena.

He said the Chitrapat Sena would not only protest in Mumbai and Pune but wherever Ghulam Ali, 75, performed in the country. Ghulam Ali concert can be held in Kolkata. As many of us do today even as a legendary singer is denied the right to play his music. “When Indian artistes go to Pakistan, they do not come across such opposition”.