The year 2016 imposed an unofficial ban on Pakistani artistes working in India, which irked quite many stars working on either side of the border. Singer Shafqat Amanat Ali rationalizes the situation by wondering why there is a restriction on the exchange of artistic talents between the two nations, despite other trade relations remaining intact. In a recent interview with IANS, Shafqat was quoted saying, “Art and entertainment industry is a soft target. They know that they can’t fight back, so just ban it. It is very easy. Otherwise, there is lot of trade that is happening between India and Pakistan.” He urged the ban to be lifted which prevented artists from performing across the border. “If you go to the Attari-Wagah border, one can see trucks bringing goods and exchanging goods from both the sides. That import and export business is running full-fledged,” he said adding, “If we stop that, it would lead to chaos. But they know that if they put a ban on artistes or actors or people who are related to art, they will express themselves through media or social media platforms.

Nothing else.”