Romanian pop band Akcent’s lead singer Adrian Sina, after his concert at the Alhamra Cultural Complex in Lahore, paid a visit to the ISPR Headquarters where he had a “fantastic cup of tea” with DG ISPR Major General Asif Ghafoor.
Taking to Twitter, the singer shared a short video of himself with Gen Ghafoor in which he says, “I am so happy that I had a chance to travel from Romania to Pakistan to meet General Asif Ghafoor and ISPR.”
Sipping on his tea, he added, “I discovered, once again, that Pakistani tea is fantastic.”
The Director-General of the ISPR had invited the band to have tea at his office when they announced their visit back in October.
Meanwhile, Akcent’s concert in Lahore on Sunday was embroiled in controversy. The pop band was initially scheduled to perform at Governor House to ‘express solidarity with the Kashmiris’.
However, the event drew ire on social media with users questioning the logic behind holding a concert to raise voice for Kashmir. Following the backlash, the Punjab government, including Governor Chaudhry Sarwar and Chief Minister Usman Buzdar, withdrew its support and logistics. The government also did not allow the organisers to provide Kashmir flags to the concert participants. All flexes referring to the oppression of Kashmiris were also pulled down.
Since the Romanian band was invited and payments were made, it performed at the Alhamra Cultural Complex before a large crowed but without any gesture for held Kashmir – it was held as a music concert without any political or diplomatic agenda.
The development upset many including Sina, who was reportedly disappointed that he could not speak a word about the Kashmiris. Sina’s press conference, which was scheduled at the Governor House, was also reportedly cancelled.
Chief Minister’s Taskforce on Women Development chairperson Tanzila Imran Khan, the host of the event, also expressed her disappointed saying that she herself had contacted the band’s lead and made payments from her own pockets to raise voice for the Kashmiris.
