BUT I AM FAMOUS

It seems breaking the law in Pakistan has become a custom especially among the
‘rich and the famous’. The Elite of this country has long stopped respecting the local
‘Law’ which is a matter of mere observation rather than an academic research; but
ignorance of international law and law of foreign countries is a new trend which
seems to be in vogue. Culture of especial treatment being given to these rich and
famous has become so deep routed that we as a society have learned to accept it
while on the other hand; they have become accustomed to it so much so that they
forget sometimes that same norms do not apply to other countries. This became
clear as crystal when we saw our beloved Musician Rahet Fateh Ali Khan doing just
that at Delhi Airport on the night of 13th February. This is not the first time that
some famous personality has been caught red handed breaking the law on foreign
soil we have already witnessed the same at Dubai Airport when Muhammad Asif,
country’s renowned cricketer was found in possession of Opium in June 2008.

Although I respect infamous ‘Qawali’ Singer Rahet Fateh Ali Khan for his qualities as
a singer and as an important figure with respect to his achievements in keeping the
art of Qawali alive; his actions at Delhi Airport are unacceptable. Authorities have
claimed that he was found in possession of over 100,000 US Dollars in his luggage
which he didn’t even bother declaring until they were found by the airport security
personnel. The question now remains why a person of Rahet’s stature would do
something like that? If he received this hefty amount in compensation to one of his
performances he could have declared the amount at the customs and this problem
could have been easily avoided, however by not doing so he has forced the nation
to think that something was fishy about the whole deal. On one hand Rahet has
claimed that since he is a school dropout he was unaware of the local law and
hence must be acquitted of the case; well ‘ignorance of law is no excuse’ is all I
would say to this statement. Presumably two of his colleagues Maroof, his manager
and Indian event manager Chitresh Shrivastava that also accompanied him are also
school dropouts who don’t seem to understand the law as well.

On the other hand Indian authorities have claimed that Rahet was screened on the
basis of a tip received from DRI Directorate of Revenue Intelligence which was
based on intercepted calls from Rahet’s Phone. This information that was revealed
to the media by some top Indian official raises serious concerns over the privacy of
tourist visiting the Indian Territory. If personal cell phone of a person like Rahet
Fateh Ali Khan can be tapped by the Indian Authorities then common man visiting
India has no privacy what so ever. This also raises the question as to who
authorized this move by DRI and what were the bases of such an action? Pakistani
authorities were not taken into confidence by India before tapping his phone calls
and thus transgressing his right to privacy. The probe in this matter has neither
been initialized by Pakistani authorities nor has this question been raised in the
media yet. Media needs to recognize its powers and harness them so that they can
become a tool for Social Justice rather than just sensationalizing issues to keep their
ratings high.

To my surprise some people in Pakistan took Rahet’s detention in India as an

offence to their national pride and demanded the foreign office to mediate in the
matter with Indian authorities and ensure that Rahet is released immediately. Some
people even went on to say that his detention is based on racial discrimination and
is only because he is a Pakistani artist who is becoming famous for his unmatched
talent with every passing second. Although I agree with them on this fact but we
have probably forgot what happened to Navjot Singh Sidhu and Sanjay Dutt
renowned for excellence in their respective fields when they transgressed the
boundaries of Law in India. They weren’t Pakistani or even Muslim but they were as
well put to trials and Sanjay Dutt was sentenced to prison time for his alleged
involvement with drug dealer’s mafia while Navjot Singh Sindhu also met the same
fate. Hence these claims have a weak ground and writ of Law in India is definitely
very much there. Although being at the back of your citizen at the time of crisis is a
positive notion however someone who has violated the law should only be given
legal representation and his immediate release should not be on the ‘To do list’ of
any foreign office personnel who wants to be taken seriously. The naïve demand of
his immediate release is a sentimental and emotionally charged claim rather than
being a mature appeal backed by concrete principles and rational approach. As now
Rahet along with his colleagues is released while his passport still with DRI, he is a
summoned to appear before the court on Thursday February the 17th. Probably
more rational approach would be to probe the matter to its depth before making
any practical move and provide Rahet with the best legal representation so that he
can present his defense before the court in the best possible manner.