A live concert by Punjabi singer Satinder Sartaaj which was to be held on April 17 in Houston, Texas, has been canceled after Rajya Sabha MP Kirodi Lal Meena wrote to Union Home Minister Amit Shah requesting immediate action to stop the concert. The event was organized by Pakistani-origin ‘event manager’ Rehan Siddiqui, who has been blacklisted by the home ministry on terror-related allegations.
In his letter to the Home Minister, Meena stated that the proceeds from such events were utilised by Rehan Siddiqui for anti-India activities, particularly in Kashmir. According to reports, the concert updates were deleted from websites after it was abruptly cancelled.
Rehan Siddiqui, a Pakistani living in Houston, was blacklisted in 2020 on the advice of the Consulate General of India in Houston. In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, Shiv Sena MP Rahul Shewale had mentioned Rehan Siddiqui’s suspected anti-India activities. Rahul Shewale was then contacted by G Kishan Reddy, Minister of State for Home Affairs, who informed him that the matter had been investigated and that the Ministry of External Affairs had notified that 3 people including Rehan Siddiqui have been blacklisted based on the Consulate General of India in Houston’s recommendations.
The letter to Shewale further added that the Indian Embassy in Washington, DC, and the Indian Consulate General in Houston were also asked to engage with prominent influencers, cultural bodies, and genuine ‘Bollywood affiliated’ local agencies to ensure that appropriate information is conveyed to Indian actors and artists so that they can decouple themselves from such anti-national elements.
Who is Rehan Siddiqui?
It was reported in February 2020 that Rehan Siddiqui was on the radar of Indian authorities when it was uncovered that Siddique organizes Bollywood events and uses the proceeds to support anti-India operations overseas, especially with a focus on Kashmir.
Rehan runs a radio station on which he constantly promotes terrorist activities in Kashmir and promotes falsehoods. Rehan Siddiqui has vast expertise in the music and radio industry and is said to have organized over 400 successful concerts with many of Bollywood’s top performers.
The Indian diaspora in the United States has been outspokenly opposed to Siddiqui’s gatherings, demanding the authorities prevent Bollywood superstars from attending events organized by an ‘ISI agent.’ They have requested that Bollywood superstars be barred from appearing in performances organized by Siddiqui. They further claimed that Siddiqui and other Pakistani immigrants were organizing anti-CAA rallies in Houston as well as pro-Khalistan protests by the local Sikh population. Siddiqui’s radio station has also been accused of spreading anti-India propaganda in the aftermath of the Pulwama tragedy and the Balakot attacks.
