- Pakistani artistes faced work restrictions in India after the 2016 Uri terror attack
- Atif Aslam has not recorded a new song for the Indian music industry in 10 years
- Fans continue to access Atif's music using VPNs and other means despite the ban
Pakistani artistes faced restrictions on working in India in 2016 after tensions between the two countries rose following the Uri terror attack. Atif Aslam was among a whole host of big Pakistani names affected by the decision. Since then, he has not recorded a new song for the Indian music industry.
Yet his connection with Indian listeners has not disappeared. He says fans continue to find ways to listen to his music. Atif also shared an emotional message for these fans.
He said he misses the people in India, even though he does not miss working there. He feels the long break also gave him a chance to focus more on creating his own music. Looking back, Atif believes the difficult period helped him discover another side of himself as an artist.
On the One on One with Kris Fade podcast, Atif Aslam said, “It was the decision of their government. For the past 10 years, I haven't done a song over there. My fans are listening with VPN, they would burn the CDs and give them to people. Not that I appreciate piracy, but it will reach wherever it has to reach. I've always wanted to tell you that I miss you guys. I don't miss working over there, but I miss you guys, because I have learned a lot from playback singing.”
“If this ban never happened, I think I would have been unable to make my own music. So, I thank you guys for that as well. I really appreciate that you guys have stood by me and you poured in so much love at the concerts, at the albums, about my songs. I thank people who have banned me as well because I would not have been able to explore myself.”
Atif Aslam said that his fans who actually want to listen to his music will always find a way to reach it. He also shared that he is planning to release a lot more music, an album almost every year and work with different artists.
His upcoming project, Borderless World, will bring together artists from different backgrounds and generations. The project will also include collaborations with music directors, composers, lyricists, songwriters and choreographers. For Atif, the aim is to create more music and work with people from different parts of the industry.
On July 31, Atif Aslam finally gave fans his fourth album, Subah Aye Na, for which they had been waiting for almost 18 years. Atif's previous album, Meri Kahani, came out in 2008.
