Adnan to perform musical gala on banks of Dal Lake

Pakistan-origin Bollywood singer Adnan Sami, who is half Kashmiri, will perform a musical gala on the banks of the Dal Lake in Srinagar on Saturday to showcase that Kashmir Valley is a vibrant cultural place and should not be linked to just terror violence.

The concert is being organised jointly by the Union Home Ministry and the Jammu and Kashmir government and is aimed at promoting tourism and Kashmiri culture amid heightened terror-related violence in the valley.

Businesses in the Kashmir Valley, particularly tourism related activities, have seen a slump since last year when the state was rocked by street violence following the killing of Hizbul commander Burhan Wani.

The number of tourists visiting the valley has see a sharp dip this year.

According to Kashmir tourism players, the valley has witnessed the lowest arrival of tourists in the last three decades from July 2016 to September 2017.

Industry leaders in Kashmir met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh during his September visit to the valley and requested him to help them as the negative coverage about the state in the electronic media has led to dip in tourist footfalls.

The Minister assured them of every possible help so that the valley could regain its stature as one of the top tourist destinations in the world.

Home Ministry sources said the concert, to be organised at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Centre on the eastern shore of Dal Lake, is in line with Rajnath Singh's promise.

"The musical concert initiative is to promote tourism and culture in the valley and spread a message that the valley is not only for terror violence," a Home Ministry official said.

London-born Sami is an Indian singer, music composer, pianist and actor. He was born to a Pakistani diplomat and his mother was an Indian Kashmiri and it was only 18 years ago that he relocated to India.

Last month, Kashmiri singer Aabha Hanjura, a migrant Kashmiri Pandit, attracted a huge audience for her show titled 'Saaz-e-Kashmir'.

According to officials, the state government would bear all expenses for organizing Sami's concert.

--IANS

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