On Tuesday, the Supreme Court dismissed a petition seeking a complete ban on the employment of Pakistani artists in India.
The appellant, Faaiz Anwar Qureshi, a cine worker, had initially approached the Bombay High Court, which had also dismissed his plea last month. In his plea, Qureshi urged the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to issue statutory notifications banning Indian citizens or firms from engaging with Pakistani artists, including cine workers, singers, musicians, lyricists, and technicians.
Qureshi's appeal was brought before a bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and S V N Bhatti on Tuesday. The apex court bench said, "Sorry, do not do this. This is a good lesson for you. Do not be so narrow-minded."
The bench said that one must understand that in order to be a patriot, one need not be inimical to those from abroad, especially, from the neighbouring country.
"A true patriot is a person who is selfless, who is devoted to the cause of his country, which he cannot be unless he is a person who is good at heart."
The Supreme Court noted that the petition is a retrograde step in promoting cultural harmony, unity, and peace, and has no merit in it. The Bombay High Court had earlier, in October, dismissed the petition to ban artists from Pakistan from working or performing in India.
The backdrop of the plea involves a ban imposed on Pakistani artists working in India after the Uri terror attack in 2016. The Indian Motion Picture Producers Association (IMPPA) resolved not to collaborate with Pakistani artists, citing "security" and "patriotism" as reasons.
This resolution led to well-known artists like Fawad, Mahira Khan, Ali Zafar, as well as musicians like Atif Aslam and Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, refraining from collaborating with their Indian counterparts.
