New Delhi: The Supreme Court Tuesday junked a plea seeking a complete ban on artistes from Pakistan from performing or working in India, saying the petitioner should not be “so narrow-minded”.
A bench comprising justices Sanjiv Khanna and SV N Bhatti told the petitioner’s counsel that it was not keen to entertain the plea. The bench said, “You should not press this appeal. Do not be so narrow-minded”.
The bench also declined the submission to expunge certain remarks made by the high court against the petitioner. Petitioner Faaiz Anwar Qureshi, who claims to be a cine worker and artiste, had moved the apex court challenging the Bombay High Court order, which dismissed his plea. The petition sought the court’s direction to the central government to impose a complete ban on Indian citizens, companies, firms and associations from employing or soliciting any work or performance, taking of any services, or entering into any association and so on with any Pakistani artiste, including its cine workers, singers, musicians, lyricists and technicians.
The high court had junked the petitioner’s plea and observed that one must understand that in order to be a patriot, one need not be inimical to those from abroad especially, from the neighbouring country.
The high court had observed that in the Cricket World Cup, Pakistan was a participant. It had said that this happened only because of appreciable positive steps taken by the Indian government in the interest of overall peace and harmony in consonance with Article 51 of the Constitution of India which is about the promotion of international peace and security.
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