NEW DELHI--A month after Pakistani ghazal singer Ghulam Ali's concert was cancelled in Mumbai due to Shiv Sena threats, he has now decided to cancel all his shows in the country.
Ghulam Ali was given an invitation to perform in Delhi by the state government and the concert was scheduled to be held on November 8. The singer has cancelled all his shows including the one in Delhi and one in Lucknow scheduled on November 25.
"Hurt that I have been used to score political points by parties in India," Ali told CNN-IBN. The singer said he will not be performing in India till the time the issues between the countries settle down.
Earlier, Randheer Ranjan Roy, business head and founder of Panache Media, which was at the helm of Khan’s Mumbai concert, had told The Indian Express that Ghulam Ali is not willing to perform. "The last few days have been tough on him in a country where he has sung for the last 50 years," he had said.
Soon after the date for Delhi concert was announced, Shiv Sena had issued an ultimatum to the Delhi government, saying that it will not allow the concert to take place. However, the Delhi government had said that it would ensure that the concert takes place with additional security.
Meanwhile, Censor board member Ashok Pandit appreciated Ali for his decision.
"Ghulam Ali has taken the right decision. I appreciate this decision," he said.
Pandit said that other artists from Pakistan should also take the lead and decide not to come to India till their country starts behaving well with the Indian soldiers.
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