“I am here to reiterate Pakistan’s unconditional moral, political and diplomatic support to all Pakistani artists living or performing in India for a just solution to their problems with Indian tax authorities.”, said Iffat Imran Gardezi, deputy chief of mission at the Pakistani Embassy in Pakistan. “We stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our long, suffering singers residing or performing in India.” the Pakistani diplomat declared.Iffat Gardezi said that Pakistani singers while on a visit to India should be given a choice whether they want Indian or Pakistani laws applied to them during their stay in India. She also said that she supported the demand of some artists for being governed by autonomous, self-regulatory laws while in India.
“There is no justification for harassing our artists by detaining them under laws which they have never accepted in the first place. When in India, they should be provided with opportunity to choose their own laws, whether Indian laws, Pakistani laws or their own self-created laws.”
Meanwhile, India’s minister for external affairs, SM Krishna admitted that majority of Pakistani artists traveling or residing in India were terribly alienated with Indian legal system, but emphasized that their alienation with Indian laws didn’t justify violation of any of our laws. He said that Indian government was willing to unconditionally talk to all Pakistani artists in India in order to resolve their problems with our tax authorities, provided they gave an undertaking that in the meantime they wouldn’t do anything to piss off officials of IT Dept or Directorate of Revenue Intelligence. SM Krishna added that Indian government was open to all possible solutions as long as they are within the framework of Indian constitution.
