Arts
My Staff Members Were Called ‘Indian Dogs’ at Kuwait Airport, Says Singer Adnan Sami
Adnan Sami
Photo: Twitter
The incident, which garnered outrage on social media, was taken cognizance of by Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj.
Singer Adnan Sami, who was in Kuwait for a live performance for Indian Cultural Society, has claimed that his staff members were subject to mistreatment and called “Indian dogs” at the Kuwait airport immigration.
“We came to your city with love and our Indian brethren embraced us with it. You gave no support. Kuwaiti airport immigration mistreated my staff for no reason and called them ‘Indian dogs’! When you were contacted, you did nothing! How dare the Kuwaitis behave like this with arrogance,” Sami said in a tweeted addressed to the Indian embassy in Kuwait.
https://twitter.com/AdnanSamiLive/status/993147114426380288
He also tagged Union Home Affairs Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, who took cognizance of the issue and asked him to speak to her on phone. Sami thanked Swaraj for her “ever so prompt reply.”
Thank you for your ever so prompt reply. Will call you & give you details. Thank you very much. 🙏💖😊
— Adnan Sami (@AdnanSamiLive) May 6, 2018
The Indian Minister of State for Home Affairs, Kiren Rijiju, also wrote to Sami, saying that the “most dynamic” Sushma Swaraj was looking into the matter, and urging Sami to speak to her, the Times of India reported. The tweet appears to have been deleted.
Sami, who then thanked Swaraj and heaped praises on her for helping out his staff, said: “Thank you so much for your concern my dear. Sushma Swaraj is a lady full of heart and she is in touch with me and is looking after our people. I’m so proud that she is our foreign minister and looks after us all over the world.”
Sami also drew attention to the prompt reply he got by saying on the social media platform: “That’s INDIA 2018 my dear- Don’t mess with it. PS: That’s also love!”
That’s INDIA 2018 my dear- Don’t mess with it!!🇮🇳😍
Ps- That’s also love!💖 https://t.co/Wjp8b86CLB— Adnan Sami (@AdnanSamiLive) May 6, 2018
The incident garnered reactions on social media platform, with many tweeting their outrage.
The dolts in Kuwait 🇰🇼 who’ve done this must be treated under their own laws which means severity that can’t be imagined! Shame that they’ve behaved in this manner! https://t.co/iijlGE93Vz
— SUHEL SETH (@Suhelseth) May 6, 2018
we need apology from Kuwait immigration and @indembkwt for not acting quickly and condemnation from @narendramodi @SushmaSwaraj
— Bush g (@bush_26_) May 6, 2018
we must teach kuwait a lession #BoycottKuwait in every way possible.
— Shonali (@ShonaliMishra25) May 6, 2018
The Pakistani-origin British singer, who has been living in India since 2001, was granted Indian citizenship in January 2016 based on Section 6 of the Indian Citizenship Act, 1955, which grants Indian citizenship to applicants with distinguished contribution in the field of science, philosophy, art, literature, world peace or human progress via a certificate of naturalization. The Ministry of Home Affairs granted him the right to stay in India indefinitely on humanitarian grounds in May 2015 after his Pakistani passport wasn’t renewed by the government.
“I came in 1999 and I had no clue where this journey was going to take me. I took it as it came and within a couple of years, I was in rapture with this overwhelming love I got from India. India fell in love with me but I fell in love with India even more,” he had told CNN-18 in an earlier interview about finding his “missing link” in India.
