No Pakistani bands this year at South Asia music festival

No Pakistani bands this year at South Asia music festival
- Planet Bollywood Special Correspondant Let us know what you think about this story

New Delhi, Feb 19 (PTI) Bands from Pakistan are not participating in a music festival here which will feature groups from seven nations, as organisers fear that they will not be able to provide them adequate security. The South Asian Bands Festival at the historic Purana Qila will feature music groups from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Maldives and Bhutan.

"Pakistan is not there this time because we felt that we would not be able to provide them security," said Sanjeev Bhargava, festival director.

When asked about the National School of Drama festival held last month in the capital which witnessed performances by Pakistani theatre groups, Bhargava said, "It is very different to have a play in a closed auditorium, or an art exhibition from a concert where thousands of people would gather.

"Security is a matter of concern for us so even though we did not receive any directives from the ministry we decided to not include them because security is a going to be a big thing."

The musical fest held in association with Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) and Ministry of External Affairs was initiated on the sidelines of the India chaired 14th SAARC summit in Nov-Dec 2007 and had received an enormous response.

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