Supreme court dismisses plea against Pakistani artists working in India, urges broad-mindedness

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court dismissed a plea to prevent artists from Pakistan from working in India. Justices Sanjiv Khanna and SVN Bhatti rejected the petition filed by Faiz Anwar Qureshi claiming to be a film activist. Qureshi had previously been turned down by the Bombay High Court.

The Supreme Court directed Qureshi not to adopt a narrow-minded approach. His plea sought a ban on Pakistani artists in India and urged Indian citizens to refrain from involving them in films, companies or associations. The Bombay High Court had strongly criticized Qureshi earlier, emphasizing that patriotism requires a broader mindset towards people from neighboring countries. The court highlighted that domains like art, cinema, music, sports and culture transcend national boundaries.