music

Updated: Aug 08, 2015 10:08 IST

Pakistani singer Adnan Sami, whose appeal to legalise his stay in India got accepted recently, is thrilled. He can now stay in the country for an indefinite period. “I’m very thankful to the Indian ­government for considering my plea. But I’m waiting for the day the government grants me ­citizenship of this country. Right now I’m from no man’s land because my Pakistani ­citizenship has been renounced now,” says Sami, who is ­unperturbed by negative reactions from his native country.



“I have heard that people in Pakistan are not very happy with this news and are burning my effigies. But I’m happy that I have finally found my home,” the singer added.



Sami’s visa was extended from time to time. His Pakistani passport issued on May 27, 2010, expired on May 26 this year, and his passport was not renewed by the Pakistan government. So, the 46-year-old requested the Indian government to legalise his stay in the ­country on humanitarian grounds.



“The love, adulation and warmth that I got from India is the reason why I chose this country. People all over the world know me as an Indian artist. I could have chosen any other country and wouldn’t have had to go through problems claiming my citizenship. But it is India where my heart is and has always been,” he says.



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