Sami was issued a notice by the Mumbai police on Tuesday for overstaying in India after his visa expired earlier this month. PHOTO: FILE
Singer Adnan Sami has become an unwitting victim. Already embroiled in a bitter legal battle with his former wife over some property, Sami has now been asked to leave India by a trade union wing of the Maharastra-based militant organisation Navnirman Sena.
Sami was issued a notice by the Mumbai police on Tuesday for overstaying in India after his visa expired earlier this month.
The 44-year-old, who has made India his second home for the last several years, has been asked to reply to the notice and explain reasons for overstaying and making efforts to get his visa renewed.
Sami, a London-born singer and composer of Pakistani origin, has regularly composed and sang for Bollywood films.
Sami’s visa expiry issue came to the fore during the hearing of his ongoing divorce-cum-property case against his former wife Sabah Galadari in a Mumbai court last week. Sami had told the court that his visa had been regularly renewed and the last renewal was
for the period Sep 26, 2012 to Oct 6, 2013.
Getting wind of it, the Maharashtra Navnirman Cine Workers’ Association informed the Maharashtra police who served a notice on Sami for overstaying.
Amey Khopkar, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) film wing president said, “Sami met us at our office today, seeking our cooperation but we told him to leave the country as his visa had expired.”
“We told Sami that Indian artistes are our foremost priority. We received complaints about him staying in India illegally and called him,” Khopkar said, adding that the MNS had asked authorities to not allow any extensions.
“We have a lot of talented artists of our own and do not need Pakistanis to come and sing here. Besides, whatever money he earns here, he probably sends it to Pakistan, and that country will be using the same money against us. So he has to leave the country,” Khopkar was quoted as saying.
The matter would not have been pursued so actively, had the MNS not become so active.
Sami will now have to leave India for a brief period before returning again.
The MNS, a militant pro-Hindu organisation that has split from its parent body – the Shiv Sena, is active in unioninising film industry workers and has recently launched the Maharashtra Navnirman Cine Workers’ Association.
Several high-profile actors have joined this organisation to voice their reservations of the unregulated wages of workers in an industry where there is no correlation between remuneration paid to the best and to the mediocre.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 16th, 2013.
COMMENTS (41)
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stupid people of both countries
Your judgments and narrow approaches are not needed by the Indian Government, which while acting wisely & boldly has extended visa for three months is also fully aware of reasons of its decision. Now what is left for people like us to keep on beating the bushes, moaning and groaning of our own narrow mindedness!@genesis:
Visa Extended.
Matter closed.
The comments are full of sarcasm and insinuations. You are unnecessarily clamoring as to what you will say now when the Indian Government itself has extended visa of Adnan Sami for three months. Hence this chapter has been closed by the Indian Government while acting wisely to your chagrin.
As to saying Indians don't have large heart like Pakistan for allowing Osama Bin Laden etc without visa, you are perhaps not aware that these people were the products of none but USA and allied forces dating back to the period when Afghanistan was over run by erstwhile USSR and whole area came under eminent threat. USSR was a super power and had been giving USA sleepless nights world over challenging its hegemony engaged in cold war. These people then in those circumstances were sponsored, armed, trained, finance, provided all logistics, men and every support to fight in their proxy war by USA led command against USSR for such a long period of over a decade of course Pakistan was then also on side of US led allied command. As a result of that long war, the world saw the super power of USSR disintegrating to triumphantly emerge USA as the sole super power of the world. Hence USA owed Pakistan and its nation to become sole super power. As to this war against terror now again for over a decade, Pakistan is a formidable ally, also being all supplies to NATO forces in land locked Afghanistan running through Pakistan terrain, of NATO and world in their global war against terror and bleeding profusely and paying very dearly in war for world peace and freedoms. While USA and other NATO allied countries have ensured their shores secure by bringing Pakistan on forefront, Pakistan's establishments, government offices and officials, security apparatus, army/navy and air force installations and personnel, ordinary citizens, its cities, educational institutions, hospitals, places of worships, roads, bridges have become target of all sort of attacks of miscreants with death and destruction dancing in the shape of bomb blasts etc which is continuing. Hence when engaged along with NATO & world in this over a decade long bleeding war, Pakistan and its nation singulalrly are giving supreme sacrifices for world peace and freedoms and their sacrifices need to be acknowledged and commended rather to be laughed off. As to India, if history could be any guide, please don't forget that almost all threats to India and its freedom, like invasions by Mahmud Ghaznavi/Ibrahim Lodhi etc., emerged from its western borders from Afghanistan side which had always been difficult for Indians to contain. One needs to have big heart to give respect to Pakistan and its nation for supreme sacrifices and splendid services on record performed and are being performed for the cause of world peace and freedoms.@1984:
Well in the end it was much ado about Adnan. He got the visa extension today. .
@S. Israr Ali: The reason these guys land up in India is that they can make lots more money than they can ever in Pakistan and they also know no one will care for their music outside the sub continent.Naturally they will stay even if it is illegal.
@usman: You are a joker my dear.Telling us that Indian film industry will die if no income from pakistan lol ! Our collection from your country is just mere less than even 3% , if you ban it is ultimately your loose, as your government getting enough tax revenue as of bollywood.
I am a Paki but I love India and would love to visit one day! It's just insane how we let the illiterate Mullahs form our mindset!
A few Indians have been finding fault with ET for MNS being called militant or anti-Muslim. ET wrote nothing of that kind, even if technically article is the property of the publisher. A Hindu Maharashtrian lady named Aditi Phadnis (aka Mehta) wrote it. She must have had her reasons. A Pakistani need not doubt her merely on the say-so of some interested parties considering she is the winner of Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Award & has to be responsible for what she writes unlike an anonymous screen-name here. Shiv Sena owned by Bal Thakre was rabidly anti-Muslim & his antics were duly recorded by Justice Shri Krishna. Raj Thakre, owner of MNS, is nephew of Shiv Sena's late owner & cousin of present owner. All are peas of the same pod. Only the author can clarify further on how it all ties up with Adnan...
The money earn by all Pakistani artists in one year in India is less than money earn by single hit Indian movie from Pakistan. I am not adding all the movies plus indian drama serials plus Indian sports channel.. Pakistan just ban them and on next morning they were on knees and all the fuss about visa will transpire permanently.
@Yo If you cared to read, I was responding to the specific lines written by ET concerning MNS being a "pro-Hindu militant organisation"; Does not in any way mean I support that specific party's political stance.
It is again wrong to say that eye opener for Pakistanis only. This is a common practice now in world. Indians are not an exception flocking in prosperous parts of the world one way or the other and staying over illegally facing every risks of apprehensions and deportations etc., with no remorse. Mexicans flooding the United States despite being caught again and again and deported. People of West Bengal comfortably walking into Bangladesh and so of Bangladesh vice versa with no remorse.@np:
Let us see everything objectively. India is a reality and so is Pakistan. So called Bombay attack itself appears a miracle. How so deep in India, in the midst of megapolis of Bombay, people carrying such heavy armaments and ammunition which must be in multiple maunds and can be very difficult to lift by any human person in even ordinary circumstances rather during execution of such type of extremely stressful plot and then to walk with such heavy load with ease all through the densely populated city, and subsequently to penetrate all through the highly sensitive electronic scanners and human eyes undetected to land in world renowned hotel alien to the attackers its exit/entry points and alleys untill they finally struck, all seems either absurd as possibility, extreme lethargy or their own involvement to provide all facilities to the culprits whosoever they were on the part of either insiders or security systems itself whether of men or materials. Instead of point fingering therefore, let the hatreds be buried which have taken us no where, all humans are equal, subjects of same God and live with compassion, tolerance, peace and harmony to each other as have lived together for thousands of years on this subcontinent. @Sudhanshu Swami:
To all pakistanis who are still living in India please get out from India.
Why his visa expiry became an issue of public? If so much hate propagated by media and some organisations. Adnan Sami should reconsider living in India without the wishes of Indians! The hate for Pakistan is greater than love for his music.
So now Shiv sena will dispense justice instead of courts.This same organization hounded Indians from other states especially from Bihar and UP working and living in Bombay and Maharashtra.These people are a TTP in the making.
@S, Israr Ali: Finally a Pakistani who talks with a bit of common sense.....
Actually they should praise the leniency of Indian govt for not jailing Adnan Sami for illegally staying in India even after the expiry of visa...
We Indians dont have the "large heart" unlike Pakistan who allowed celebrities like Osama Bin Laden,Dawood Ibrahim,Mullah Omar to stay without having visa....
go to afghanistan now
MNS, a militant pro-Hindu organisation...?
R.I.P GK(General Knowledge)
MNS, a militant pro-Hindu organisation...?
R.I.P GK (General Knowledge)
Violation of law is not Pakistan specific only and it would be wrong to say that violators only exist in Pakistan. There is no dearth of violators and criminals world over in any human society and India is too not an exception.@Mc:
Well, what an idiotic statement by khopkar that sami sends money to Pakistan and Pakistan uses it against them.
Well he doesnt realize that Pakistan is the country that gives maximum profits to bollywood outside India, what if we stop showing these films as billions of rupees sent from Pakistan to India can be used against us.
Mr.Khopkar talk of friendship not extremism.
@S. Israr Ali: pakistanis like to see Indians through the prism of hatred,,,,,,,every country has generous people and unkind people,,,,not all indians are unkind,,not all pakistanis are generous,,,,but i can say one thing 90% Indians are tolerant towards all religions,,and most of them are generous!!!,,but inimical persons like to highlight that 10%,,,and will try to show India as a hostile country!!!
@ashar: I agree with you. Pakistanis should learn to renew their expired visas or face deportation.
It is not uncommon that Pakistani artists frequented India and performed while staying. Even Adnan Sami former wife, Zeba Bakhtiar, went and worked in movies there. Other artists like Mehdi Hasan, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Reema etc. also famous for visiting India, welcomed and worked there. India society is not that unkind rather generous.
In all these discussions, however, an important point is being overlooked. Why Adnan Sami failed to respect law and overstayed in the first place. The Indians and their government are still kind to have spared him from prosecution on violation of law and simply asked him to leave though he broke the law of the land when overstayed, an illegal act and a crime. As to his earnings in India, he was also obliged to pay taxes to the government as per the tariffs prevalent. After all during his stay in India, he must be footings various bills of his necessary expenses there.
On its part when he lands in Pakistan, he has to face the relevant laws of Pakistan for his illegal stay in a foreign land and to declare whatever money he has earned by staying over there with disposal and whether bringing it back to Pakistan or remitted elsewhere.
Such type of people need to be strongly learnt the lessons to respect laws whether of their own country or countries of their visit.
Militant group??? are you on drugs!!!
only because he likes India, you hate him. you seriously need to be a bit mature@Abbas Hassan:
@lol: If India has a lot of talented artistes, what is he doing there in the first place ?
Not sure if its shoddy journalism by ET.....
This gentleman has either not extended his visa or his extension was rejected,so he is asked to leave India,which is the basic rule for every visa .....
Honestly,I hate that fascist organization called MNS,but how are they involved in this??? When did they start issuing visas to foreigners ????
Also,Pakistanis should know that its India not England or Norway where u can enter using Tourist visa and then cry before the authorities saying that you cannot return due to the hostile environment ....If a Pakistani had overstayed a single day in their ummah countries like Saudi Arabia,Kuwait etc,they would be immediately languishing in jail unlike Adnan who is still in his palatial house
This is what I called biased media reporting to purposefully skew the facts to imply a sensation on the topic which really does not exist. First, Adnan Sami overstayed his legal stay on Visa, it is normal and natural in civilised country to ask him to leave unlike few countries who jails such an individual and frame them as spy. Second, He had no business going to MNS for extending his stay. It is the role of the embassy to extend his Visa not MNS. Third, Why would Tribune media ask MNS. It is like we talking to Hafiz Saeed why someone is not allowed to overstay in Pakistan. These right wingers will always have an unpleasant view of the situation. Here lies the delibration of ET to unnecessarily sensationalize something which is really not warranted here.
Why is he so afraid to leave India ? His VISA expired and he should renew it. If it is not renewed, he should leave gracefully. Why he wants the authorities to deport him with shame ? Of Course MNS is doing a good job catching illegal foreign residents in Mumbai.
"The MNS, a militant pro-Hindu organisation that has split from its parent body – the Shiv Sena, is active in unioninising film industry workers and has recently launched the Maharashtra Navnirman Cine Workers’ Association."
Incorrect "data" ET - way to spread anti-India/anti-Hindu sentiments. MNS is neither a pro-Hindu political porganisation,nor it is "militant" in nature. MNS people do force the city to come to a standstill at times by conducting "bandhs" but they don't go around destroying property everywhere. Also the leader of MNS Raj Thackeray does make provocative speeches, but his speeches are not aimed at or are anti-Muslim in any way. Infact MNS itself has many young Muslim supporters/party workers. Thackeray's speeches are mainly aimed at "outsiders" or people from the northern backward states ("BIMARU") of India who come to Mumbai in large numbers and live in slums & pathways thus creating huge pressure on Mumbai's (and suburban areas') infrastructure. It is a political stunt to appease the "Marathi manus" or 'Maharashtrians' of Maharashtra; how is that being a pro-Hindu organisation? Stop making controversial claims of your own ET. Also, why are there 4 articles on Adnan Sami being asked to leave India?
“We have a lot of talented artists of our own and do not need Pakistanis to come and sing here. Besides, whatever money he earns here, he probably sends it to Pakistan, and that country will be using the same money against us. So he has to leave the country,” Khopkar was quoted as saying. OUCH... dat gotta hurt.... well said.....
Since Sami likes to consider himself Indian, I would ask the FIA to ensure he does not land in any Pakistani airport. Please cancel his passport, if he still has one, and send him back to where he came from. We do not want people like Sami in our country. The Indians can keep him.
Right wing militant group..the author of this article must come to mumbai...he will be served with pav-bhaji and vada pav by MNS....