Ali Zafar calls off New Year’s concert in South Africa

Singer among host of aggrieved artistes who cancelled their concerts to pay respect to the victims of Peshawar attack.

In light on the harrowing Peshawar school attack, which claimed the lives of 141 people, including 132 children, singer-actor Ali Zafar cancelled his New Year’s Eve concert in Durban, South Africa. Ali, who recently featured in Kill Dil, claims to be still reeling from the tragedy, reported the Hindustan Times.

“Considering that the Peshawar massacre happened just a few days back, and no one has been able to forget it, Ali decided to cancel his concert,” said a source close to him. “Ali could not bring himself to sing and dance at a time when people in his homeland are so severely affected. He did not feel correct about going ahead with it, even though everything was finalised,” the source added.



When contacted, Ali confirmed the news, saying, “What happened in Peshawar has disturbed the entire nation, and at this point, I cannot bring myself to celebrate or entertain. As much as I looked forward to meeting my fans in Durban, I know that they will understand my reservation to perform at such a trying time.”

The Express Tribune reported earlier that many musicians cancelled their performances in the wake of the attack. Singer Sajjad Ali, who was to perform at the Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture in Karachi on December 16, has indefinitely postponed his performance. “It’s a sad day in the history of Pakistan and as an artiste, I would feel guilty if I decided to proceed with my performance when such an incident has taken place,” he said. “As a human being, it is our responsibility that we share the grief and sorrow [of the affectees]. This is the least we can do as artistes.”

The reunion of the rock band Qayaas, which was scheduled to take place on December 26 at Kuch Khaas, was also cancelled. Umair Jaswal, frontman of the Pakistani rock band, expressed solidarity with the victims of the Peshawar school massacre. “We have called off the show to mourn the loss of so many innocent lives in Peshawar. I think those who are still sympathising with the terrorists are one of them,” he said.

The Rafi Peer Theatre, which had organised a two-day International Dance Festival in Islamabad, decided to call it off in light of the events in Peshawar. They posted a statement on their official Facebook page, stating, “In honour of the innocent lives that have been taken away, we have decided to call off the second day of the dance festival.”

Fuzön was also scheduled to perform a concert on the day of the violent occurrence but announced the cancellation of their show. “We have called off our concerts as it is a time for sorrow rather than festivity,” said band member Immu. Singer Asrar also stated that he has cancelled all his “gigs, recordings and concerts” for the coming few days.

Not only were local artists deeply affected by the gruesome attack, but Bollywood celebrities, such as Amitabh Bachchan and Shahrukh Khan, also took to Twitter to express their shock and anger over the incident. “The soul is healed by being with children. Extreme anger and disgust for all those who took our children, our future and our healers away,” read Shahrukh’s tweet.

Actor Anupum Kher expressed his outrage over the attack by writing an open letter to the terrorists. “Your dastardly act today will have united parents everywhere and earned you their curses. Time will prove that their curses will not have been in vain.”

Published in The Express Tribune, January 2^nd,  2015.

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