Opposition to Ghulam Ali a tribute to Indian soldiers: Shiv Sena

Shiv Sena on Friday defended its opposition to Pakistani singer Ghulam Ali.

Mumbai: Undeterred by the attack from political and cultural quarters for forcing cancellation of famous Pakistani ghazal singer Ghulam Ali's concert in Mumbai, Shiv Sena on Friday defended its stand and said that it will continue to "boycott" Pakistan till it stops terror activities.

In its editorial mouthpiece 'Saamana', Shiv Sena said that the party performed its duty by forcing the authorities to ban the concert of the Pakistani singer.

In a strongly-worded editorial, the party said that the tribute given to Pakistani singers like Ghulam Ali in India is never given to Indian artists in Pakistan.

Legendary singers like Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhonsle and veteran actors like Amitabh Bachchan have faced opposition in Pakistan, has Ghulam Ali ever raised this issue in his country, Shiv Sena asked.

Hitting out at the legendary Pakistani singer, the party even asked if he will ever pay tribute to Indian soldiers.

Attacking the Indian fans of the singer and the organisers of the show, the party said that even those organising such events should hang their head in shame.

Maintaining that it is difficult to remain insensitive to the sufferings of Indian soldiers due to "ceasefire violation" by the neighbour, Sena's youth wing chief Aditya Thackeray had yesterday said, "We cannot have fun here when our soldiers are suffering."

"We all enjoy Ghulam Ali songs. But we need some sensitivity towards soldiers. Ceasefire violations are happening every day. We cannot have fun here when our soldiers are suffering," Aditya Thackeray told reporters.

Meanwhile, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Delhi Tourism Minister Kapil Mishra on Thursday invited renowned ghazal singer to perform in Kolkata and New Delhi respectively.

Ghulam Ali's concert planned at Shanmughananda Hall was cancelled last night after Shiv Sena threatened to disrupt the show Organisers of the event, planned as a tribute to eminent Ghazal singer Jagjit Singh.

Ghulam Ali had earlier performed in Mumbai as a tribute to Jagjit Singh along with several singers from India.