The organisers did not do their homework as this was the second time that Pakistani singer Ustad Rahat Fateh Ali Khan faced trouble at an Indian airport. The ghazal maestro, who arrived in Hyderabad's Rajiv Gandhi International airport on an Emirates flight, was to perform at the Falaknuma Palace on new year’s eve. But he was deported and was not allowed to enter the city, all due to a technicality.
The organisers of the event, Lakshya Events & Talent Management Pvt Ltd, did not know that a Pakistani national can enter India only through Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata or Chennai, otherwise his or her trip to India cannot be recorded. This system has been put in to place monitor the moment of Pakistani Nationals in our country. The singer was asked to return to Abu Dhabi and to reenter India through one of the legally allowed ports.
Earlier in 2011, the Ustad, along with his troupe, was detained at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport for carrying foreign currency. The issue was later resolved.
The singer later travelled to Delhi from Abu Dhabi and took a chartered flight from Delhi to RGIA. The programme was delayed by few hours because of the confusion.
