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Atif Aslam’s Concert Postponed

Atif Aslam’s Concert Postponed

Protestors from the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) obstructed Pakistani singer Atif Aslam’s performance that was slated to happen in Ahmedabad on November 23. The reason cited by VHP’s Jay Shah was a tit-for-tat response on the lines of – since Indian films are not allowed to be screened in Pakistan, why should India allow Pakistani talent to walk in?

The thirteen activists, who staged the protest demanding a cancellation, had however been detained and presented in court because they had not obtained permission for the demonstration.

The VHP had most recently made news for protesting against the Sanjay Leela Bhansali film Ram Leela on grounds that it was an ‘obscene piece of work degrading the holy element and significance of mythological Ram Leela’. This led to the name of the film going from Ramleela to Ram-Leela to Goliyon Ki Raasleela: Ram-Leela.

One thing that evades the polity is that music binds people regardless of nationality. The one-upmanship on trying to suppress Pakistan from a larger scheme of things has sadly found its way into the realm of music.

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