World Sufi Music festival Jahan e Khusrau is being held in Delhi next week but this year, there won’t be any representation from Pakistan.
In an interview with Hindustan Times, filmmaker Muzzaffar Ali, who curates the festival, said:
“I wanted to invite artists from across the border but I thought I may not be able to… If somebody embarrasses them then it’s not nice. I don’t have any opinions on that [ban of Pakistani artists in India] but certainly we can’t embarrass those people.”
He also feels that Sufism is a common thread between India and Pakistan.
The festival has previously hosted many Pakistani artists, including Abida Parveen and Shafqat Amanat Ali. But for now, Mazaffar Ali has artists from India on board, which include Daler Mehndi and Sukhwinder Singh.
“It’s nice to have people from across the sub-continent — that’s the message of oneness that should go — but under the present circumstances, this is the best,” says Ali.