Punjabi singer Gurdas Mann won’t perform in Canada now: ‘Responsible and necessary’
Amid the ongoing India-Canada diplomatic row, Punjabi singer Gurdas Mann’s Canada trip has been cancelled and the production house said the move is the most responsible and necessary course of action for the time being.
“In light of the current diplomatic unrest between the two countries and after careful consideration and assessment of the unpredictable circumstances, it has been determined that the cancellation of the event is the most responsible and necessary course of action for the time being,” the production house posted on Facebook announcing the cancellation of Gurdas Mann’s tour.
Gurdas Mann was scheduled to perform in Canada this month between October 22 to October 31. But India and Canada have crossed swords after Canada accused India of murdering Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada. India rejected the allegation and sought specific information regarding the allegation which New Delhi claimed Ontario never provided. Canada, however, claimed it provided details many weeks ago. The diplomatic meltdown has come to this level that India suspended its visa services in Canada and Canada started shifting its diplomats from India as India accused them of interfering in internal affairs. India also alleged that Canada provided a safe haven to Khalistani terrorists about whom India alerted Canada several times. Nijjar was one of them but Canada treated Nijjar as a religious head.
Canada houses the largest population of the Sikhs outside Punjab and many Punjabi rappers are Canada-based. Before Gurdas Mann, Canada-based rapper Shubhneet Singh was in the spot after his first-ever India tour was cancelled in September following outrage over his pro-Khalistani views. Shubh was criticised for an old social media post which showed a distorted map of India omitting Jammu & Kashmir. After his show was cancelled, Shubh said India is his country too and he was born in India. “And Punjab is my soul, Punjab is in my blood. Whatever I am today, I am because of being a Punjabi. Punjabis do not need to give proof of patriotism. At every turn in history, Punjabis have sacrificed their lives for the freedom of this country. That’s why it’s my humble request to refrain from naming every Punjabi as a separatist or anti-national,” Shubh wrote.
Indo-Canadian rapper AP Dhillon faced a boycott call as he showed solidarity with Shubh and said musicians now have to “second and triple guess” every move. Diljit Dosanjh’s name was also dragged several times in the Khalistani row.
Amid this controversy, Gurdas Mann decided to defer his Canada tour and promised his fans that all tickets would be refunded and new dates would be announced soon.