India's top court rejects plea to ban Pakistani artistes
Entertainment
The petitioner was advised to ‘not be so narrow-minded’
(Web Desk) - The Supreme Court of India on Tuesday rejected a plea to ban Pakistani artistes from working in India and advised the petitioner against being narrow-minded on the issue.
The petitioner, a film worker named Faaiz Anwar Qureshi, had appealed to the Supreme Court after the Bombay High Court dismissed his original petition last month.
Qureshi had sought a ban on all Indian citizens, companies and associations from working with Pakistani artistes, including actors, singers, musicians, lyricists and technicians.
Qureshi had asked that the Information and Broadcasting Ministry, the Ministry for External Affairs and the Ministry for Home Affairs be directed to issue notifications banning the engagement of Pakistani artistes in India and prohibiting travel visas for them.
The bench described Qureshi’s petition as having no merit and called it a retrograde step in promoting cultural harmony, unity and peace.
The court also said the resolutions by private associations were not statutory and could not be enforced through judicial orders, as the petitioner had sought.
Qureshi had also expressed concerns in his petition that allowing the Pakistan cricket team to play in the ICC Cricket World Cup in India would lead to the engagement of Pakistani artistes, which would take away opportunities from their Indian counterparts.
