Pakistan

Rahat Fateh Ali Khan released by Indian authorities

Pakistani singer released, but barred from leaving India as investigations continue.

Express February 14, 2011

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani singer Rahat Fateh Ali Khan has been released by Indian authorities after he was held for allegedly carrying a large amount of undeclared foreign currency. The release of Khan was confirmed by Mohsin Mughal, Hindustan Times Correspondent in talks with Express 24/7.

According to Mughal, Khan and two of his companions were released, but the Pakistani singer's passport has been held, pending further investigations.

Khan is also barred from leaving India, and is set to appear before the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) on February 17.

Pakistani officials prevented from meeting Rahat Fateh

Indian authorities on Monday disallowed Pakistani High Commission officials from meeting detained Pakistani singer Rahat Fateh Ali Khan earlier in the day. Pakistani Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir asked for the immediate release of Pakistani singer Rahat Fateh Ali Khan from Indian custody. He made this demand during a meeting with the Indian high commissioner in Islamabad today.

Bashir also said a two-member body had been formed to keep in touch with Indian authorities over the issue.

Updated from print edition (below)

Rahat Fateh Ali Khan detained in India

Noted Pakistani singer Rahat Fateh Ali Khan was detained at the Indira Gandhi International Airport on Sunday evening by Revenue Intelligence sleuths for allegedly carrying a huge amount of undeclared foreign currency in violation of local currency laws.

Khan, a classical musician-turned hit Bollywood playback singer, arrived on a flight from Karachi and was intercepted by personnel from the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence acting on some prior information, the local media quoted official sources as saying.

They said the singer was carrying a huge amount of foreign currency which he did not declare to the immigration authorities. Two other persons accompanying him have also been detained. Khan is being questioned for the currency which is in excess of $100,000.

The 37-year-old, nephew of singing legend Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, was earlier, too, involved in a controversy when organisers of a concert in Gurgaon filed a police complaint against him in July last year for his failure to turn up for a show.

Khan has several hit numbers to his credit and is this year’s recipient of the Filmfare Award for Best Male Playback Singer for Dil To Bachcha Hai Ji from the movie Ishqiya.

Meanwhile in Pakistan Interior Minister Rehman Malik phoned High Commissioner to India Shahid Malik and asked him to keep in touch with the Indian authorities investigating Khan.

Shahid Malik will take up the matter with the Indian authorities to solve the issue, according to a spokesperson for the interior ministry.

“The minister directed the envoy to meet New Dehli high-ups and make every possible effort to get the legendary singer released as soon as possible after fulfilling legal requirements,” the spokesperson added.

According to the state-run television, the minister also directed him to keep a tab on the issue and provide legal and consular support to Khan.

It added that the envoy “has also established contact with airport officials and other relevant authorities in India to prepare a strategy in this regard”.

With additional input from wires

Published in The Express Tribune, February 14^th, 2011.

COMMENTS (107)

Uza Syed | 13 years ago | Reply Tax evasion is a crime. Smuggling money is a crime. Rahat Ali Khan committed these crimes, make a horrible example out of him for other criminals to learn a lesson from. Give him maximum punishment to warn other habitual criminals among corrupt Pakistani elites. This is the only way, they can be taught a lesson in civilized citizenship.

Vinayak | 13 years ago | Reply @Javed: What about hundred of thousands of Hindus given employement in Muslim countries like Saudi Arabia, Dubai , Sharjah, Abu Dhahbi, Kuwait, etc.. Can they earn that amount in India? Are not those Muslim countries giving them Jobs? Pakistani Artists can be counted on fingers as compare to the hundred of thousands of Indians working in these Muslim States. Should not they Kick you out from there looking at your Views against all Muslims? Why Not? -> Going by your logic Muslims should have been kicked out from every country after 9/11. Few Miserable dollars that artists can ear in your miseerable country, you are crying so much and then how about those who work in these muslims states they send Billions of dollars back home. -> Are your artistes idiots to come to work in a 'miseerable country'. India does not do a favor by inviting Pakistani artistes, neither do Pakistani artistes do a favor by working in India. Pakistani artistes get good money, Indians get good talent, and Indians and Pakistanis get to work together, so that the world gets good music. So everybody benefits. So, talk what make more sense. And Open this Little tiny Hindu mentality where there are no windows in a houses like your Mind. -> Rahul does mudslinging on 'Pakistanis' and you retaliate by mudslinging 'Hindu'. As far as I am concerned, both of you have tiny mentality.

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Vinayak | 13 years ago | Reply @Rehan: Do you want to imply that those Pakistanis who celebrate Basant are worshiping Saraswati?!!

J Oberoi | 13 years ago | Reply @Rehan: Sub kuch haraam hai tho halaal kya hai? Khudh-khush hamla?

Rehan | 13 years ago | Reply Music is haram, like Basant celebration it nothing but Saraswati worship in disguise.

sobriquet | 13 years ago | Reply @Sajjad: Talent is nothing without opportunity. A good opportunity can make people without sufficient talent shine; and without opportunity a genius remains in the dark.

feroze | 13 years ago | Reply @ram: This is money he was taking out of India not into India. What would have happened when he landed in Pakistan is speculative but he would probably have been treated as a CIP/VIP since he is very highly regarded in Pakistan and no one would have checked his luggage unless there was a tip off like it was in India.

Jeddy | 13 years ago | Reply The same thing happened to Ricky Martin

ram | 13 years ago | Reply All cross border payments need to be routed through banking channels in every country. How did he manage to smuggle so much of cash while crossing Karachi immigration? No checks and balances in Pakistan!! The very fact that he has carried cash (in check in baggages- if lost, no claims from the airlines) goes to prove that, he wanted to avoid taxes both India and Pakistan. He has attained fame after years of hard work and he ought to be knowing that he should respect the laws of Pakistan and India. When you earn so much of money - why not pay taxes? He is young and a long way to go. It is high time he learns from his seniors like Mehdi Hassan, Gulam Ali who are more popular and highly respected in India for their gazals and humbleness. .

A R Khan Yusufzai | 13 years ago | Reply Rahat Sahab has been my ideal singer but this act has put my countrymen in a very awkward position. He should respect and abide by the Indian Law. Similarly Raymond Davis (US Citizen) caught in Pakistan for shooting innocent men should respect the law of Pakistan and be given severe punishment.

Ayesha | 13 years ago | Reply India never miss any chance to disgrace Pakistan,he was carrying his own money and the indian media was trying to create his image as corrupt or criminal , they have done it before with Shoaib Malik,Adnan Sami and now Rahat.lets see who will be the next target.

Veny | 13 years ago | Reply quote @Raj: One can carry up to $10,000.00 US while landing in India. I am sure his team must be having minimum 15 members. This could have been easily declared as a group cash which would have met the legal requirements of India’s FERA ( Foreign Exchange Regulation Act). Unquote: Are you suggesting that next time a Pakistani business delegation visit India, they should carry evaded tax money of $10,000,00? (just copied your numbers, doesn't seem correct in terms of comma placings)

PakOne | 13 years ago | Reply Its so foolish of Rahmat Khan to carry $124,000 by himself! He should have paid $5000 to the pakistani member of diplomatic staff in delhi, they would have carried the $$ in diplomatic pouch for him! Happens all the time. The reason Rahmat Khan had $$ with him is probably he is trying to get out of the "land of pure" for good!

kumar | 13 years ago | Reply Never heard of Rahat before now, so the silver lining might be that people like me might listen to his music, and he can further increase his earnings and maybe pay his taxes!! Also, i am more than a little suspicious he was carrying money on behalf of Dawood Ibrahim International terrorist and ISI protege, who is holed up in karachi.

Sid | 13 years ago | Reply This is simply blown out of proportion. Rahat is well respected singer with million of friends in India. While it could be just a careless mistake by Rahat for not declaring the money, the bureaucracy and slow process will continue give heart burns to many of us. Hopefully it was an innocent mistake and no mal-intention. Culture and music is whats holding us two gun trotting neighbor somewhat sanely close, else we would be doomed :) Anyways my wishes with Rahat and hopefully this issue sorts out at the earliest. Peace and Long live south Asia !!!

Watty | 13 years ago | Reply Despite his negligence, Mr. Khan merits the benefit of doubt. Evasion is not uncommon in India with even legitimate compensation being offered in funds "off the record". Foreigners often find themselves in a bind with very few options since they do not set the rules. If this is found to be the case, Khan Sahib deserves to be quietly exonerated.

mk | 13 years ago | Reply Its same as Paris Hilton having cocaine in South Africa! whats the big deal..these are artists..they do silly things at times without any logical reasoning. Let him free as he has learned his lesson i.e. OF BEING ALOOF. Let him entertain his fans!

Javed | 13 years ago | Reply @ Nil LOL. You took it to your heart.. Want to see the real terrrorist? Patience My Dear,, Let's find out the real terrorist here: Ajmer blast: Key accused names RSS leader Indresh Kumar http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/ajmer-blast-key-accused-names-rss-leader-indresh-kumar-85124?pfrom=home-India Hindu extremist confesses involvement in Samjhauta Express bombing http://tribune.com.pk/story/100465/hindu-extremist-confesses-involvement-in-samjhauta-express-bombing/ Hindutva terror: Myth or reality? http://www.ndtv.com/video/player/the-big-fight/hindutva-terror-myth-or-reality/187970 This is your Media Reporting , not ours. Well, since we have established this fact that who is terrorist then I think your question became irrelevent automatically. Hundreds of Thousands of Pakistanis in US , millions in U.K. and Hundreds of thousands in Australia are still there. LOL.. But the Point is not this.My Point was IF You have 135,000 US dollars for excursion, is India an appropriate place for that? I still think no. And among other reasons, I would Including the Hindutva Terrorism Whether it is RSS or any other Nazio-Fascist Hindu groups, for not visiting India at all with such good amount. Thats why I quoted Good countries around where one would be free of sick Hindu mentality anyway.LOL. Besides, There are 57 Muslims countries one can Visit from Morocco to Indonesia. They are all brotherly countries to us. I think thats more culturly enriching experience. India is never on my list though.

Javed | 13 years ago | Reply @ Rahul What about hundred of thousands of Hindus given employement in Muslim countries like Saudi Arabia, Dubai , Sharjah, Abu Dhahbi, Kuwait, etc.. Can they earn that amount in India? Are not those Muslim countries giving them Jobs? Pakistani Artists can be counted on fingers as compare to the hundred of thousands of Indians working in these Muslim States. Should not they Kick you out from there looking at your Views against all Muslims? Why Not? Few Miserable dollars that artists can ear in your miseerable country, you are crying so much and then how about those who work in these muslims states they send Billions of dollars back home. So, talk what make more sense. And Open this Little tiny Hindu mentality where there are no windows in a houses like your Mind.

Arindom | 13 years ago | Reply Thousands of foreigners work in India - Americans, Europeans, Japanese and Chinese. They all respect Indian law and follow all rules. Why can't a Pakistani do the same - that too a famous personality? It is plain stupid No wonder that the green Pakistani passport attracts custom officials at airports all over the world like bees to honey...... This is not a case of RAW maligning Pakistan ( ha! ha! ) It is a Pakistani public figure maligning Pakistan - like so many others in the recent past!!

Ali Haider | 13 years ago | Reply He should have respected the law of the land. Why was he carrying this much cash? It is not an attempt by the Indians to malign Pakistan, rather the opposite. It is an attempt by this guy to malign Pakistan. When will we learn to respect the law?

syed kashif Hassnain rizvi | 13 years ago | Reply no country allowed in the world that u can take this big amount in hands, its illegal to take out money like this. he was saving some little money via transfer bank to bank pakistan...now face the courts... why we Pakistanis forgets tht enemy is always enemy...

Nil | 13 years ago | Reply @Its Cold War...Going on.....!!!!!!: Land of Music or Land of terrorist.

AQ Khan | 13 years ago | Reply Not just Rahat, every idiot fond of visiting India must be made to copiously taste and enjoy the real Indian hospitality, so that they think twice before praising India.

Nil | 13 years ago | Reply @Danish Muneer: Indians have arrested Rahat for nothing. He is innocent. Indians are playing a dirty game. And This Indian also gave him filmfare Award, Understood.

Nil | 13 years ago | Reply @Javed: Thailand, Bali, South America, Malaysia were better places any how to spend money. Because USA, Europe, Australia and other country considers pakistani as a terrorist. Am I right Mr. Javed

Singh | 13 years ago | Reply Chalo finally released!! Zardari got some time off the raymonds davis case!! It was intentionally done by pakistan government ,given the popularity rahat jee enjoys in subcontinent. India revenue agency is not interested ,as they know the money is not big enough and it cant tax a pakistani citizen . It was a good planned plot by pakistan ruling party to divert public anger.

Mirza | 13 years ago | Reply Only Salman Butt and other Pakistanis carry this kind of cash when travelling from country to country and city to city. They do not follow the Pakistani laws or pay taxes on that money. Only smugglers and people with black money carry so much cash, so they do not leave any foot prints. It is not trivial and a simple mistake. When one travles and enters a new country they have to declare all the cash they are bringing in with them. For example anybody entering USA has to declare all the cash in excess of $10,000. As long as they declare it there is no problem except a bit of interrogation. However, hiding and deceiving a foreign govt is a major crime. Let the laws take care of it. Nobody should be above the law. Mirza, USA

kailash sethy | 13 years ago | Reply @Syma Khan - Relationship: No country h a t e s Pakistanis. Its just that u people r brainwash e d since a kid that India is D e v i l and US and Israel r h e l l. Whoever goes to these countries(any country for that matter) sees that how foolishly they were taught. No decent self respect person will go to a place where his/her self respect is hurt. do a favor to urself, get a VISA and visit India to see urself how wrong u r

Suresh | 13 years ago | Reply Authorities in New Delhi have denied permission to Brain Adam's concert to be held on Tyesday, since the organisers have sold 10,000 tickets instead of 6,000 actual capacity of the venue.

sandy | 13 years ago | Reply @Cold: I made couple of comments in other posts. I will repeat to your amusement.. Pak went to win Kashmir and Afghanistan, but has lost Pakistan in return. Paki water problems are due to internal mismanagement, theft, inter state conflict, under-utilization and various other reasons. India has achieved far far more with only 25% of indus basin, than mismanaged Pakis with 75% basin area/resources and 100% loss. You can continue to spend your hard earned tax payer money in whatever way you feel like. Trust me, Indians are least bothered how you waste your money, as long as you stay within your borders. Finally, no one has to make anything out of Pak. One has to simply wait. Pakistan will reshape itself from within. History will repeat itself. Inshallah...

Ashutosh | 13 years ago | Reply It is probably impossible for Mr. Khan to defend himself. He has not used the normal banking channels to bring in this money. Also taking money from Pakistan to India might indicate that this is not simply money-laundering case but may have to be passed to nefarious elements in India to finance their activities. Lets not forget that Pakistan is the nerve center of all terror activities and this guy was allowed by Pakistani authorities (I mean security check at Karachi Air Port at least) to carry such money to India. Before letting him off the hook all the angles should be carefully and throughly investigated.

Its Cold War...Going on.....!!!!!! | 13 years ago | Reply @sandy: So Mukti Bahni (Bangladesh) was not made by India ...!!! So Kishan Ganga Dam, Wohler barrage are being built by aliens.....!!! and what about Mukesh Kumar Gupta who is a well known Bookie of India. He had disclosed the names of Mark Waugh (Australia), Brian Lara (West Indies), Alec Stewart (England),Martin Crowe (New Zealand) for role in Match Fixing/Spot Fixing/Fancy Fixing. So betting starts and ends with India.......!!!!! Then why we should we beleive your inane comments....!!!!!! Major problems with Pakistan are due to India...even today we have found indian made bombs, ammunition, currency and agents in KP and Baluchistan...and you say we live in conspiracy theory world...Stop following Hitler.....and his SWASTIKA...... It is not Pakistan Studies....it is International Truth......... Your argument for constantly indulging in pakistan is amazing...you say "If you act, others will react, that's the law." so you want to make Pakistan like Sikkim, Bhutan, Goa, Pondichery, Junagadh, Hyderabad, Nepal...all these territories were either usurped by india or are under influence of Indians and RAW.......I think you should stop reading and stop following the "hit below the belt" theories of Chanakya....!!!!!!!!

Anil | 13 years ago | Reply @harkol: Mate care to clarify what you mean by "sons of Pakistan" then I will reply. Out of all the people in this chat, I wont own Mr Rahat, he made a consious decesion to work in India and earn money there, he should be ready to deal with the concequences of that as well.

Anil | 13 years ago | Reply @anil: Becasue of people like Rahat we have to listen to these comments, good for him , who told him to go to India.......

Amer | 13 years ago | Reply Being a Pakistan, I give the Indians credit for handeling this situation well. I know for a fact that it's a crime in alot of countries to take more then $ 10,000 without declaring it. The law is the same in Pakistan and the US. Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, regardless of who he is, should have been informed about the law of the land. There is no excuse for ignorance of the law! Anyways, this wasn't a huge issue, Rehman Baba and many others in the Pakistani govt & media hyped it up. Rahat's manager in India should be fired if not jailed for this incident and he would be foolish not to take action against his manager since it was his responsibility as well.

Adnan | 13 years ago | Reply Will any sane person carry 100000$ while travelling and claim self to be innocent? He should face the law and stop evading taxes. The greed becomes more when they see a lot of money. May be earlier the airport customs might have left him leave with such cash..out of respect for him.. but to take advantage of that and smuggle money is crimintal...

Vishnu D Dutta | 13 years ago | Reply Well all the legal etc matters aside, who in the heavens puts that much cash in check-in or carry on language. He should have known about the baggage handlers of Delhi airport, your normal gifts items gets stolen from your check in language , cash is like a open season for them.

sandy | 13 years ago | Reply @Cold War: Firstly all your examples are totally not in line with the topic. A crime was committed and the guilty punished. No excuses there. And to reply for your other events, Firstly most of the trouble in Bangla, kashmir, afghan, water, etc. are Pak's own making. If you act, others will react, thats the law. How stop reading pakistan studies and spend some time doing independent research to find out who acted first in all these cases. And secondly, even for argument if we take it as truth, it shows how gullible pak is to fall to prey to India's plans. So stop living in conspiracy theories and look inwards. As told in vedas, most of the answers are always within and hardly outside.

Sikander | 13 years ago | Reply I appreciate all those who did say that Law is Law wherever it may be Respect the Law. Or! Pay the price.

Kamil Bangash | 13 years ago | Reply If he was caught with this much undeclared cash, the law of the land which he is visiting should take its course. Not being aware of the law is a ridiculous plea. I am pretty sure that the Indian authorities are not making all this up for entertainment purposes and to force him to sing better songs. The Pakistan government's attempts at assisting him are very understandable. The Pakistani government does not follow any laws, even its own. It refused to initiate cases against Zardari when the Supreme Court judgement demanded so, and it wants to hand over the American murderer back to the US on the pretext of 'diplomatic' immunity. Would it have also assisted any other Pakistani in this situation? I highly doubt it.

Its Cold War...Going on.....!!!!!! | 13 years ago | Reply Just to clear my point...even Adnan Sami was scandalized recently....

Its Cold War...Going on.....!!!!!! | 13 years ago | Reply @harkol: What about Azaharuddin, Jadeja and Prabhakar.... Stop pointing fingers ....RAW and betting Mafia was responsible in framing Amer Asif... Only time will tell...............

Its Cold War...Going on.....!!!!!! | 13 years ago | Reply Why don't you take the possibility of the money being put into baggage by RAW agents or immigration authorities themselves.................just to malign Rahat Fateh Ali khan... India is NOT A COUNTRY OF SAINTS... India created Bangladesh out of Pakistan...not heeding to international pressure in Kashmir issue, taking away Pakistani rivers, Indian betting mafia maligning Pakistan Cricket through Amer Asif framed case.......and so on... So how India can digest Pakistani singers making big in so called "Land of Music".....!!!!!

Cosmo | 13 years ago | Reply @binwakeel: You got it all wrong. Pakistan doesn't have that kind of cash. He was trying to leave India with that Cash, Not bringing into to it.

Raj | 13 years ago | Reply He has been released...Cheers!!!

Suresh | 13 years ago | Reply A year back, one Brazillian football coach too was detained for much smaller amount ( USD 25,000 something). But, Rahat is an intellectual and more responsible person. Carrying so much cash, that too in a check in baggage! It was intentional and pre planned, clear case of money laundering. Some report says, he was traveling to Karachi via Dubai by Emirates. But, here it says, he arrived from Karachi???

Babar | 13 years ago | Reply Salman Khan please help this poor bugger

Sid | 13 years ago | Reply This article says he has been detained. He has actually been arrested and charged.

Balwinder Sandhu | 13 years ago | Reply My dear Pak brothers, pl do calm down. 20 years ago, when returning from a business trip to USA, I was taken into custody for money I was carrying out of US. I was detained, my family had to fly out from UK to fetch me even though by the second day I was begging them to take the entire money. The sum- a whopping 8000 dollars- yes, ONLY 8 THOUSAND DOLLARS. I learnt a lesson that Raahat has learnt today- obey the laws, it is as simple as that.

Rahim | 13 years ago | Reply What the hell!! He would have been detained even at Pakistan airport, why on earth he was carry that much amount of cash, he was only going to India, not on a world tour. What a stupid act.

MilesToGo | 13 years ago | Reply Looks like a simple case of stupidity, let's see...

Disgusted | 13 years ago | Reply Why do Pakistanis assume that the world is stupid? or is it now in the psyche of most Pakistanis that they do not have to remain within the law?

J.Oberoi | 13 years ago | Reply The question is: why was he taking such a huge amount of money INTO India? Imagine if an Indian artiste was caught with that amount! Pakistan would have jailed him saying that he was bringing that money to fund insurgency in Balochistan.

Raj | 13 years ago | Reply @Sajjad..Re:Law in Killing and law in earning is different. Your point well is well taken. There are laws to carry gain fully earned money ( cash). Since you have access to internet, I assume you know about a banking system of any country. Here in the West, your pay is directly deposited in your bank account. Going by your argument, it would be perfectly legal for the employers to pay cash in any denominations. Imagine if somebody is earning $10,000.00 per month and his employer gives him one million pennies in cash. He could have wired this funds to his account. As I mentioned earlier, this could have been declared as a group cash. If Shah Rukh Khan or Amir Khan or Amitabh Bachchan is caught carrying over $100,000.00 USD in Lahore, what would have been his legal recourse under Pakistani Law.

harkol | 13 years ago | Reply @Syma Khan - Relationship:

Pakistani singers get worse behavior from india still they go there.

Assuming your statement to be true, there must be some strong reason for them to do that - Could it be $$$? Indian laws don't allow a foreigner to acquire certain types of Real Estate, if adnan sami does so, he is being foolish. No countries law today allows movement of currency in large amount (even US needs a declaration if amount is larger than $10,000). Customs folks won't go in to the trouble of producing $125,000 just to frame a person who is loved and respected in India. Just because a person is of Pakistani origin, Indian law can't treat him differently! What Fateh Ali saab did is stupid in the least, criminal at its worst. Also, Can you show an example 'good behavior' of Pakistan for any artist from India who has made Pakistan his base? Oh wait! There is no one right?!

harkol | 13 years ago | Reply @Fighter: Come on really! Does RAW have to do anything to malign Pakistan?? Aren't some illustrious sons of Pakistan doing a far better job of Maligning their mother land?

Raj | 13 years ago | Reply One can carry up to $10,000.00 US while landing in India. I am sure his team must be having minimum 15 members. This could have been easily declared as a group cash which would have met the legal requirements of India's FERA ( Foreign Exchange Regulation Act).

Amer | 13 years ago | Reply The law is the law, he has to face the music now I guess! LOL I don't get why the Pakistan FO and Rehman Malik are getting all hyper on this case.... Rehman baba really needs to chill out & CHILLAX! He isn't doing anything else anyways... ;)

Ehsan | 13 years ago | Reply Wonder why these fellows who earn good money need to do things like this... what a shame

anonymous | 13 years ago | Reply I would have preferred travelers' checks.

ai | 13 years ago | Reply Another way of doing business...CASH. So he can not declare in his income tax, so the government can suck this from normal tax payers.

verming | 13 years ago | Reply @Salman: Imagine who will visit Pakistan and for what ?

sandeep limaye | 13 years ago | Reply there is so much love and respect for rahet fateh ali khan saheb in an ordinary Indians who knows the taste of music. so if some Indians are showing disrespect to the person like him they are hurting the feelings of millions of Indians. as for as legal matter is concerned it will be dealt by our authorities but request to them that all kind of respect should be given in dealing with this living legend. this kind of people are not of any nation they are treasure of whole humanity. so they should be addressed with respect even though they have done something wrong.

Khan | 13 years ago | Reply Manoj, while I agree with you but if you go see the comments on TOI you will have to agree with Ben. But rules are rules.

rahul | 13 years ago | Reply pakistani singers can never earn so much money in their own country@Syma Khan - Relationship:

Asit | 13 years ago | Reply Every one is hell bent on bringing shame to the country. How can he not know this simple law? Shame... must be punished.. so no one else dares. The greed is every where ..in politics, army, cricket and now ever art!!!

abdullah | 13 years ago | Reply he shuld respect the indian law .....he has violated the law and should b treated accordingly.....and the pakistani gov should look in2 how much does he pay in taxes in pakistan .....if u earned the money in india than transfer it through a bank instead of carrying cash...sum thing is 4sure wrong..we need 2 chek the taxes he is paying in pakistan.....

Danish Muneer | 13 years ago | Reply Indians have arrested Rahat for nothing. He is innocent. Indians are playing a dirty game.

Pradeep | 13 years ago | Reply There is no need to be emotional , think rationally ,When Mr David is arrested then Pakistani people ask America to respect law of land then why not in this case. Its not his first visit to India , at least he should be aware of the law. Anyway he is as beloved to Indian as for Pakistani, He has been awarded Film fare this year, how can we disrespect/malign him , But no body is above law, so let law take its own course and we hope and pray he will be released sooner.

Manoj | 13 years ago | Reply @Ben: Please do not make it an India -Pakistan issue. Rahat and Late Mr. Nushrat Fateh ali Khan has millions of fan in India and they are sad today. But any illegal act has to be dealth with as per the provisions of law. Indian law does not deferentiate between a politician, bureucrates, army general and a common man. Law is supreme and equal to all. Let us hope he gets quick releif and start concentrating on singing.

Iftikhar-ur-Rehman | 13 years ago | Reply Serves him right!!!

Ehsan ul Haq | 13 years ago | Reply Guys sure "Ignorance of Law is No Excuse", but this provides the provision for leniency specially when its not a violent crime , like one Rymond Devis committed. But still he should be prosecuted and whatever is the judgment, release or punishment, should be given by court of law. and he should be provided counselor access from Embassy of Pakistan.

Vinayak | 13 years ago | Reply I do not think it is such a big amount. Hope he is let off with a fine and a warning.

Jai(India) | 13 years ago | Reply This is indeed very sad. We (his fans) can't associate him with any wrong doing...Also it is difficult to belive that an artist like him will indulge in money laundering and all. It's more likely that he wasn't aware of the rules.. after all what does he have to gain from it? Hope the authorities will be lenient with him and release him with after a warning. 1lakh USD ( ~ 40 lakh Indian rupees) is actually not that much at all, if you consider the amount of money that passes hands in corruption, betting etc. in India. - An Indian fan

Junaid | 13 years ago | Reply i love rahat fateh ali khan but he was stupid in this case. every one knows you cant carry that much foreign currency even in pakistan so how can he be so naive. it was simply he wanted to hide money and not declare it neither in india nor in pakistan. as for people who say he makes thatmuch money in india only i would like to remind them that for even private parties these guys charge in miliions here as well.

srk | 13 years ago | Reply hope for the best....

Sajjad | 13 years ago | Reply @anil: earning opportunities or Pakistani talent?

Sajjad | 13 years ago | Reply @Raj Law in Killing and law in earning is different. @anil earning opportunity or Pakistani talent.

Kashif Jahangiri | 13 years ago | Reply I am a Pakistani and an ardent fan of Rahat Fateh Ali Khan. However, I do not approve of what he did. I just hope and pray it is his personal act and nothing more than that. Instead of getting emotional and and making statements against each other, let the law take its course. We should have full faith in Indian judiciary in the same way as we would demand from anyone else for our judiciary.

imran | 13 years ago | Reply We as Pakistanis must develop the culture to respect law and to carry ourselves with grace.The attitude to call every thing a conspiracy is taking down the moral fabric of this nation and we can not attain the kind of respect and moral standing in the comity of nations if we do not accept our misdoings. Rahat Fateh is not innocent as he has been frequenting that country and surely knew what are the rules of business. As they say "IGNORANCE OF LAW IS NO EXCUSE" so he should face the music.

Javed | 13 years ago | Reply If he had that much money to spend then I think it is really stupid to select a country like India. Thailand, Bali, South America, Malaysia were better places any how.

Fawad Ali Shah | 13 years ago | Reply Law should be followed equally whether he is a celebrity or an ordinary citizen. For this I think we should learn from Indians for they don't compromise on principles in the name of 'International diplomacy'.

anil | 13 years ago | Reply Highly stupid of him. India provides the kind of earning opportunity for pakistani singer that is missing in their country. the least they can do is to respect the laws.

feroze | 13 years ago | Reply This has nothing to do with Indian enimity or anything like that. No country allows your to carry so much cash unless declared and source of funds proved. The Indians should prosecute him according to the laws of India. I also want to know how much does he pay in taxes in Pakistan? I believe he charges like 2 million ++ for a show and does quite a few in a month. And no I am not an Indian, but a patriotic tax paying Pakistani.

Khan | 13 years ago | Reply he must be smuggling some money for daud ibrahim on behalf of bollywood.. wont be surprised if thats the case.. regardless law is law.. he should be prosecuted.

Ben | 13 years ago | Reply A review of blogs and comments in the Indian media shows how Indians are rejoicing at his detention. They think that Rahat is a "good catch" for what even the Indian officials are terming a mere technical violation of currency law. Everyone voicing his opinion is screaming for his head. so much for his love for India!

M J Akbar | 13 years ago | Reply If elites like Rahat do this,what can we expect from common citizen???This is one of the ways,by which indian money is going out.....paisa to gaya,izzat bhi gaya....

Ali Turk | 13 years ago | Reply Now why would he and his mangers be carrying US$ 124,000 in cash through Delhi customs without declaring the same. This is just not acceptable in civil society. Pakistan tax authorities should look into this and tax his earnings globally.

binwakeel | 13 years ago | Reply Will someone answer the following questions? 1) What was the chap intending to do with over one hundred thousand dollars in cash? 2) Why was he taking this big amount from Pakistan to India? Does he not get paid in that country for his efforts? 3) Is it not against Pakistan regulations to take so much Foreign currency out of the country? Should he not be proceeded against in this country also for violating Pakistani laws?

naUm | 13 years ago | Reply thats the reality of Indian enmity against u guys... so good luck Rahat...btw offer some of the dollars them or distribute it among them, they'll let u go...U earn those on their land, how could they bear it...secular india(n)

Salman | 13 years ago | Reply Imagine what we would do to an Indian star if they were caught in Lahore or Karachi in a similar situation. : /

pl/sql | 13 years ago | Reply A typical case of biting the hand that feeds you. He deserves to be deported and kept out of India for trying to evade paying tax.

lahori | 13 years ago | Reply i think so he should have respected the law of india ......if ur money is legal than y nt declare it and get out of problem....our he could have done a bank transfer.....v shuld respect laws of other countries......

Syma Khan - Relationship | 13 years ago | Reply Pakistani singers get worse behavior from india still they go there. Adnan sami khan and rahat fateh ali khan are the living examples.

Shahryar Ahmed | 13 years ago | Reply Law is law!!!! He should have known better. Carrying 100K of foreign currency is a crime in any country.

rahul | 13 years ago | Reply Pakistani singers earn millions of rupees in India, which they can't even imagine in Pakistan, and they still do tax evasion in India and pay to Pakistani exchequer. This Indian money is again used against India by helping terrorists fighting against India. We don't need such singers.

Singh | 13 years ago | Reply Rahat jee is one of the best artists in subcontinent; respectable person in india. But he should be slightly careful with some trivial rules and regulations. Practically and logically there is no point troubling a respected artist who is harmless to security. Although it sounds illegal but why waste time for no reason.Incomes Taxes will be taken by pakistan government.so if rahat jee doesnt want to pay taxes in pakistan,let him not pay :) if one thinks like a conspiracy =>It could be a pakistan goverment trick to prove themselves as hero to divert home attention from all kinds of mess[troubling a singer :( ]. We all know ,indian bureaucracy and judiciary is so slow.it took them 1year to make kasab report :)They will waste time on useless things.Pakistan government will try to delay it till it worsens and then prove to be hero in public eyes.

sam mandi | 13 years ago | Reply It reminds me Amir Khan' Sarfarosh movie.

Umayr Masud | 13 years ago | Reply I saw how the media started reporting it (not this news item) , its unfortunate they couldnt see the simple truth that he acted against indian law so well let the law take the lead in this case as well .. Specially when we want the law to act in our own case of Raymond Davis.

satyram | 13 years ago | Reply May be he was thinking of becoming first account holder of Islamic bank in India.:)

Abbas Khan | 13 years ago | Reply Very stupid of him, must face consequences.

Fighter | 13 years ago | Reply Another RAW conspiracy to malign Pakistan and Pakistanis.

Arindom | 13 years ago | Reply Are all these Bollywood and Pakistani stars and singers flitting in and out of the country paying all the taxes they owe? Not just them, people / organisations who host their shows must also be investigated.

J.Oberoi | 13 years ago | Reply Why did he need $135,000 in cash to visit India for a few days?? I know inflation is a bit high but this is ridiculous. It is incidents like this that puts a dampener on the people-to-people contact initiative. I don't think this will work until relations are normalized.

Raj | 13 years ago | Reply Pakistani law should be respected in case of Raymond Davis and Indian law should be respected in case of my favourite singer Rahat Fateh Ali Khan Sahib.

D. Asghar | 13 years ago | Reply @Rahat Bhai...Sad if it is true another egg on our face. Dil To Bachha Hai Ji Per tu kitna kacha Jai Ji If the reports are true, then who the heck puts $50,000 in checked in baggage. Sir Ji, This is not music to our ears.

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