Pakistani ghazal legend Ghulam Ali’s concert in Mumbai scheduled on October 9 has been cancelled.
“Ghulam Ali will not be coming for the concert which was to be held on October 9,” event organiser Randhir Roy said.
The concert was cancelled after the organisers met Shiv Sena Chief Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday. The event was supposed to be a tribute to Indian singer Jagjit Singh.
The Shiv Sena had threatened to disrupt the show.
A Shiv Sena spokesperson said that India can’t have cultural ties with Pakistan when they are killing her soldiers.
In a letter to the management of the Shamughananda Hall, Shiv Sena’s film wing “Chitrapat Sena” said if it went ahead with the programme featuring the artist from Pakistan they would have to face the “anger of Shiv Sena and the patriotic people.”
“Through this letter, we want to convey to you that if you invite Pakistan artist to the show you will have to face the Shiv Sena’s wrath… Which is why we ask you to prohibit the Pakistan artist from coming to the programme, or else you will have to face the anger of Shiv Sena’s and the patriotic people of the country,” Chitrapat Sena Vibhag Pramukh Mangesh Satamkar said in his letter.
He said it has been a long standing stand of Shiv Sena that until the neighbouring country stopped terrorism activities there should be no cultural, sporting and political relations with Pakistan.