Pakistan's freed singer vows to perform in India again
0 
Well-known Pakistani singer Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, who was detained in India last week for carrying undeclared foreign currency in violation of Indian law, returned home early Wednesday and vowed to perform again in India.
Khan and some of his organizers had been detained for allegedly carrying undeclared currency worth 124,000 U.S. dollars at New Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport on Fe. 13.
He told reporters on arrival that his detention was due to lack of his knowledge about the Indian Customs Laws.
"I will visit India again if the hosts invite me with respect and honor," Khan said.
Like Khan, several Pakistani singers are very famous in India and they are frequent visitors of the rival neighboring country to perform. They are Adnan Sami Khan, Ali Zafar, Veena Malik and Atif Aslam.
Indian film industry is a big market for Pakistani singers, both pop and classic, and Khan is among those who have sung for dozens of Indian movies. Khan has won a few Indian music awards.
Khan was questioned by the Indian officials of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) for days in a row.
The Pakistani government had also been directly involved in the issue and Interior Minister Rehman Malik had spoken to his Indian counterpart P Chidambaram on the phone thanking him for his assistance and cooperation in regard to the case.
Khan was released on Monday but he was made to surrender his passport and is not allowed to leave the country. He paid three million Indian rupee penalty for violation of Indian rules. During his interrogation, Rahat told the DRI officials that he is a school dropout and hence not familiar with the laws.
As per norms, a foreign national cannot carry beyond 5,000 dollars in cash and 5,000 dollars in other instruments. The person has to declare the amount if he is carrying more than this to the Customs Department, Indian media reports.
A nephew of Pakistani singing legend Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Rahat is a top Bollywood playback singer and has several hit numbers to his credit. He won the Filmfare Award for Best Male Playback Singer this year for "Dil To Bachcha Hai Ji" from the movie Ishqiya.
