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Atif Aslam thanks those who banned him from India, says he doesn't miss working here: ‘Fans are listening over VPN’
Pakistani singer Atif Aslam spoke about his ten-year absence from the Indian music scene, expressing gratitude for fan support.
Pakistani artistes faced restrictions on working in India in 2016 following heightened tensions between the two countries after the Uri terror attack. The Indian Motion Picture Producers’ Association (IMPPA) passed a resolution directing its members not to hire Pakistani artistes and technicians for new projects until relations between India and Pakistan returned to normal. Among the Pakistani artistes affected was singer Atif Aslam. Now, in a chat with Kris Fade on his YouTube channel, Atif opened up about his decade-long absence from the Indian music industry.
Atif Aslam on ban in India
Talking about his absence from India, Atif said, “It’s been almost 10 years since I was banned in India. That was the decision of the Indian government; they decided to ban artistes from Pakistan. Indian artistes are also banned in Pakistan now. For the past 10 years, I haven’t done a song there. My fans are listening over VPN and they burn the CDs and give them to people. Not that I appreciate piracy, but music will reach wherever it has to reach.”
He also shared a message for his Indian fans who continue to support his music. “Don’t feel bad about it, don’t feel sad about it. I always wanted to tell you that I miss you guys. I don’t miss working over there, but I miss you guys. I have learnt a lot from playback singing and if this ban didn’t happen, I think I would be unable to make my own music. So I thank you guys for that as well. I thank those who have banned me as well, otherwise I wouldn’t be able to explore myself,” he said.
Why were Pakistani artistes banned from working in India?
Relations between India and Pakistan have had a direct impact on cross-border collaborations in the Indian film industry. In September 2016, the Indian Motion Picture Producers’ Association (IMPPA) passed a resolution directing its producer members not to hire Pakistani artistes and technicians until relations between the two countries returned to normal. The move came amid heightened tensions following the Uri terror attack.
The restrictions were followed by another industry-level move in February 2019, days after the Pulwama terror attack, in which 40 CRPF personnel were killed. The All India Cine Workers Association (AICWA) announced a “total ban” on Pakistani actors and artistes working in the Indian film industry and warned of action against organisations that continued to employ them.
About Atif Aslam
Pakistani singer Atif Aslam has remained one of the most popular Pakistani artistes among Indian music listeners, with his popularity largely driven by his early success in Bollywood. He first gained recognition in India with Aadat, which featured in Kalyug (2005), followed by songs such as Woh Lamhe from Zeher.
Atif went on to lend his voice to several popular Hindi film songs, including Tere Bin, Pehli Nazar Mein, Tera Hone Laga Hoon, Tu Jaane Na, Jeene Laga Hoon, Be Intehaan, Jeena Jeena and Tere Sang Yaara. His work also earned him multiple Filmfare nominations for Best Male Playback Singer.
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