Pakistani ghazal maestro Ghulam Ali event in Mumbai falls prey to Shiv Sena, again

Keeping up its opposition to any cultural exchange or people-to-people contact with Pakistan considering its role in fomenting terrorism and organised crime in India, the Shiv Sena has objected to a music launch in Mumbai on Friday by Pakistani ghazal maestro Ghulam Ali. This led to the launch being cancelled.

Ali has starred in the movie 'Ghar Wapsi' directed by Suhaib Ilyasi in which he sings a patriotic song praising India.

"This is unfortunate, Ghulam Ali is such a peace-loving individual and an ambassador of peace between the two countries," said Ilyasi, the host of the once well-known crime show India's Most Wanted, adding that the movie was on "intolerance, law and order situation, judiciary and certain laws in our country."

He added that though BJP leaders had called him to express support and promise security for the event, he was adamant on holding the event "only if the CM assures (us) personally that the security is taken care of" and is personally present to ensure that the security is beefed up and prevent any threats to the maestro. Meanwhile, the launch has been cancelled, with a decision on it being taken later.

Ilyasi said that on January 17, a venue had been booked in Andheri West for the music release. However, when they went there on Wednesday to pay the money, they were told that the booking had been given to someone else. Further inquiries with the decorator revealed that the Shiv Sena had allegedly threatened the management against allowing the event with Akshay Bardapurkar of the Sena's cine wing claiming responsibility.

However, Bardapurkar claimed that they had not issued any threat against the launch and denied claims that the event had been scrapped at their behest. He added that Ilyasi had called him on Wednesday afternoon and inquired if they had any objections to Ali's presence, following which he (Bardapurkar) asked the director to avoid this in a reiteration of the Sena's opposition to any cultural or sporting ties with Pakistan.

However, when questioned, Ilyasi said "they will not do it officially...That is illegal so, they will not accept that a threat was given".

"They are sending out a wrong signal to the world," he said, pointing to how Prime Minister Narendra Modi was trying to normalise relations with Pakistan.

This is not the first time that the Sena has opposed Ghulam Ali's concert. In October 2015, Ali's concert in Mumbai was scrapped due to the Sena's opposition.

It had also opposed the release of former Pakistan foreign minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri's book: "Neither A Hawk Nor A Dove" in Mumbai in October.

On the same morning, senior journalist Sudheendra Kulkarni, who is chairman of the Observer Research Foundation (ORF), and the event's organiser, had black paint thrown on him by Shiv Sainiks, who had threatened to disrupt the event. However, though the launch passed off peacefully in unprecedented security, it bared the faultlines between the Sena and the BJP.