Mika Singh asks: Why dislike Pakistani Muslims, not Dubai’s?

Mika Singh has reopened the India-Pakistan artiste debate with a question he says he has never managed to answer: why do Pakistani Muslims bother us, while Muslims in Dubai do not? The observation came in a conversation on Baatein Dil Se With Navika Kumar, where the 50-year-old singer spoke about his 2019 visit to Pakistan, the Sikh shrines there, and the line between work and politics for performers.

What he remembers from Pakistan

Mika was clear that his own experience in Pakistan did not match the suspicion he often sees at home. He recalled local Muslims who served at gurdwaras and helped with cleaning, describing them as brothers. “Pakistan isn’t bad. The people of Pakistan aren’t bad at all,” he said, according to the interview.

At the same time, he pointed out the contrast: the same public that questions Pakistan often accepts Dubai Muslims without the same hesitation. For him, that gap remains unexplained.

He framed the connection in personal, rather than financial, terms. For him, it was not about money; the first thought was that he could reach a gurdwara through the visit, because important Sikh religious sites are in Pakistan.

Where Mika draws the line on Pakistani singers

On cross-border music, his position is direct.

• He has no problem with Pakistani singers performing in India and said Bollywood welcomes them.
• He defended Indian artistes who travel to Pakistan for work.
• But he separated a private paid function from publicly promoting a visit.

That distinction matters in an industry where a foreign performance can quickly become a political headline. Mika argued that travelling openly by flight, doing a private show and returning should not automatically be read as a political act.

The 2019 ban that still shapes the story

Mika’s comments carry extra weight because of his own history. In August 2019, he performed at a pre-wedding event in Karachi, reportedly connected to a relative of former Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf. After a video surfaced, the All India Cine Workers Association and the Federation of Western India Cine Employees announced a boycott and barred him from industry work.

The ban was lifted later that month after Mika apologised at a press conference. He maintained the show was a prior professional commitment and that his presence in Pakistan was coincidental, not a political statement.

Why the remarks matter now

The interview arrives amid a wider conversation about Diljit Dosanjh, Pakistani artistes and the complicated relationship between India and Pakistan. Mika’s comments may not settle anything, but they push fans to separate prejudice from policy, and private work from public messaging. For an audience that loves filmi music across borders, that is a conversation worth having.

Source: India Today