Following the widespread release of a video featuring Ustad Rahat Fateh Ali Khan slapping and abusing a band member, British Asian Trust announced that it will no longer be connected to the singer.
After watching the video, a representative of the anti-violence British Asian Trust—which was established by King Charles III—told Geo News that the organization has chosen to break its ties to Rahat.
“The British Asian Trust has a strict policy towards abusive behaviour and has ceased any association with Mr. Khan,” a Trust spokeswoman told this reporter. We vehemently oppose all forms of violence, regardless of the situation.
Over the weekend, the Trust released a statement stating, “We take all accusations of abuse seriously and we will look into this urgently.”
In the video, a band member begs Rahat to stop as he attacks him with slaps, kicks, and even his shoes. Houston, Texas, was the scene of the attack one year ago.
Rahat addressed the uproar on Saturday night and clarified that the situation was not as bad in real life as it appeared on the video, acknowledging the gravity of the situation.
The man, claiming to be his pupil, claimed that the water provided by the spiritual guide was in the “bottle” that was referenced in the widely shared video but that he had misplaced it.
“He serves as both my teacher and father.” God is aware of his affection for us. He continued, “Whoever has done this is just using blackmail to discredit my teacher.”
“A teacher and a student’s internal matter is the subject of the video. We will reward a pupil for a good deed and discipline him for a mistake, the famous musician declared in a video posted to his official Instagram account.
I misplaced a water bottle that my spiritual healer, or pir, gave me. At the same time, I also apologized to my student,” he continued, referring to Naveed Husnain as the “student.”
In a different video, Husnain claimed that Rahat was now “embarrassed” since he had apologized to him for whatever had transpired between them. Rahat is his teacher, he added, and he “can do whatever he wants” with him.
Rahat, as the trust’s envoy, has also met King Charles. Charles started it in 2007 with the goal of addressing poverty and fostering community ties.
He is regarded as the best live vocalist of Qawwali, a popular music genre in Pakistan that originated with the poetry and music of Sufis, Islamic mystics.
In February 2017, during the trust’s fourth annual dinner held at the Guildhall here, Pakistani singer Rahat Fateh Ali Khana was named ambassador of the British Asian Trust by King Charles (then Prince Charles).
