Adnan Sami could not attend his mother`s funeral as Pakistan rejected his visa

Singer Adnan Sami, who gave up his Pakistani citizenship to become an Indian citizen in 2016, recently revealed that he was denied a visa by Pakistan when his mother passed away and he wanted to attend her funeral. He said that while the Indian government granted him permission to visit Pakistan, the neighbouring country refused to issue him a visa despite knowing the reason.

Adnan Sami denied from attending mother`s funeral

Adnan`s mother, Naureen Sami Khan, passed away a few months ago, and he had requested both the Indian and Pakistani governments to allow him to visit the country where his mother took her last breath. Talking to India TV, Sami said, “Maine yaha ki sarkaar se poocha main jana chahta hoon, toh aapko koi objection toh nahi? Unhone kaha, ‘Zahir hai, aapki maa ka inteqal hua hai, aapko zaroor jana chahiye.’ Unki taraf se koi problem nahi that.” (When I asked the Indian government if I could go, they said, ‘Of course, your mother has passed away, you must go.’ There was no problem from their side.)

However, when the singer applied for a visa to Pakistan, his request was denied. “Maine visa ke liye apply kiya, par unhone refuse kar diya. Maine kaha, ‘Meri maa ka inteqal hua hai.’ Phir bhi unhone mana kar diya. Main nahi ja saka. Maine unka poora janaza WhatsApp ke video pe dekha. (I applied for a visa, but they refused. I told them my mother had passed away, but they still said no. I couldn’t go. I saw her entire funeral through a WhatsApp video),” he shared. 

Adnan Sami on taking Indian citizenship

Speaking further about his decision to become an Indian citizen, Sami emphasized that money was not his motivation. He said he left behind inherited properties worth crores in Pakistan. “Money wasn’t my driving force. In fact, when I came here, I had to start from scratch again,” said Sami.

“I was facing a lot of problems then as a Pakistani citizen, especially in a public profession. Everyone knows all your moves. I had even reached out to [Pervez] Musharraf for help,” he revealed.

This article first appeared on Mid Day