Following a complaint to the External Affairs Ministry by a cinema body from Bollywood, popular Punjabi actor-singer Diljit Dosanjh has postponed a planned concert in the United States, slated for 21 September. The concert was purportedly organised by Pakistani national Rehan Siddiqi.
The Federation of Western India Cine Employees, claiming to represent 26 trades in the film and television industry had earlier taken up the issue with the federal government.
“Mr. Dosanjh is a thorough gentleman and a superb singer/actor but he has been allured by the Pakistani national, Mr. Rehan Siddiqi. His performance for the Pak National and people will set a wrong precedent in view of the current alarming situation between the two countries,” the Federation told External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar said in a letter.
Federation of Western India Cine Employees writes to Ministry of External Affairs to "cancel the visa of singer and actor Diljit Dosanjh who accepted the invitation of a Pakistan National Rehan Siddiqi for a performance in America of September 21." pic.twitter.com/BVlgFb8J6F
— ANI (@ANI) September 11, 2019
After the complaint Dosanjh took to Twitter to announce the postponement of the event, “I Love my Country And will Always Stand for the Greater interest of the Nation INDIA",
🇮🇳 ✊ pic.twitter.com/HEtLzl0Eou
— DILJIT DOSANJH (@diljitdosanjh) September 11, 2019
Pakistan had ordered a crackdown of Indian movies and advertisements following New Delhi's revocation of Jammu and Kashmir's special status in early August.
"We have banned Indian advertisements and launched a crackdown on CD shops to confiscate Indian movies", Firdous Ashiq Awan, the Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Information had said a week after the Indian decision on Kashmir.
Upset by New Delhi’s decision to abrogate Article 370 and 35A of the Indian Constitution, which granted special status to the restive state of Jammu and Kashmir, Islamabad mounted a diplomatic offensive against New Delhi to internationalise the Kashmir issue. Pakistan subsequently downsized its diplomatic mission in New Delhi, and suspended all communications and trade with India.
Pakistan claims it is a stakeholder in the Kashmir issue and India’s decision was unacceptable. India, however, holds it was an internal issue.
Kashmir has been a bone of contention between the two countries since they gained freedom from British colonial rule in 1947. Both govern it in part, but claim the territory in full.
