Singer Adnan Sami has supported India’s ban on Pakistani artists, saying that national interest must take precedence over art. When asked whether art should transcend politics, Sami replied that while an artist may not always be political, he or she is always a patriot. He said that “an artist will always belong to a country,” and argued that “art also has boundaries.”

Sami, who originally comes from a Pakistani background and became an Indian citizen in 2016, said that in times when the country is threatened, one must stand by and protect it. He emphasized that expecting freedom and support as an artist should come with a responsibility to defend one’s nation.

He also approved of the ban on Pakistani content, such as the film Aabeer Gulaal, calling it “justified” given the current circumstances. Overall, Sven Sami firmly placed the idea that a nation’s security and unity cannot be sacrificed in the name of universal art, especially when tensions are high.