Bollywood singer Adnan Sami, whose Pakistani passport expired in May following its non-renewal, has been allowed to stay in India indefinitely after the home ministry granted his appeal seeking exemption from deportation on humanitarian grounds. Though the singer has also sought Indian citizenship, a senior home ministry official said the “issue is not under consideration”.
Sami, whose qawwali rendition in the latest blockbuster ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’ won many hearts, had approached home minister Rajnath Singh after Pakistani authorities did not renew his passport. A purported ground for non-renewal, sources told TOI, was an old marital dispute with his second wife, Sabah Galadari, a UAE citizen. The couple divorced in 2012, and Sami is now married to Roya Faryabi, his third wife.
An intervention by the home minister on behalf of Sami ensured that the Centre invoked its discretionary powers under the Foreigners Act to grant him immunity from deportation. The foreigners division of the home ministry allowed his appeal based on his “good conduct” through his stay in India, while saying that any marital issues faced by him were entirely his personal matter.
Minister of state for home Kiren Rijiju on Tuesday conveyed to Lok Sabha that Sami was exempted from deportation under Section 3 of the Foreigners Act. As per rules, the home ministry must table in Parliament all such orders where it invokes discretionary powers to let a foreigner stay in India without a valid passport.
“In pursuance of the powers conferred under Section 3A of Foreigners Act, 1946 (31 of 1946), the central government being of the opinion that it is necessary and expedient in public interest to do so, hereby declared that provisions of clauses (c) and (e) of sub-section (2) of Section 3 of the Foreigners Act, 1946 and paragraph 11 of the Foreigners Order, 1948 shall not apply to the said Mr Adnan Sami Khan, son of late Arshad Sami Khan, and he is exempted from deportation proceedings. This order shall remain valid until further orders are issued on the subject,” the home ministry order tabled in Lok Sabha said.
Lahore-born Sami first arrived in India on March 13, 2001 on a one-year visitor’s visa issued by the Indian high commission in Islamabad.
His visa was extended from time to time. His Pakistani passport issued on May 27, 2010 expired on May 26, 2015 and his passport was not renewed by the Pakistan government which forced him to approach the Indian government with the request to legalize his stay in India on humanitarian grounds. He also sought Indian citizenship as permanent relief, but a home ministry official told TOI on Tuesday that the request was not under consideration.
Sami has many hit songs to his credit, with ‘Kabhi To Nazar Milao’ and ‘Lift Kara De’ two songs that catapulted him into the big league.