Rahat Fateh Ali Khan denied US visa

ISLAMABAD: The US Embassy in Islamabad has reportedly refused a visa to the well-known singer Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, preventing his participation in a concert.

The denial is purportedly related to alleged non-payment of taxes on income earned in the US from 2015 to 2023.

According to the embassy’s requirements, the singer must provide IRS documentation detailing his tax payments during the specified period and legal documents from Bollywood Event LLC. Rahat Fateh Ali Khan claims that he fulfilled his tax obligations through his US promoters and has reached out to them to obtain the necessary documents for submission to the embassy.

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The artist behind ‘O Re Piya’ argues that he had visited the US earlier this year and believes that if there were any outstanding tax payments, the embassy would not have granted him a visa at that time.

Rahat Fateh Ali Khan was scheduled to travel to the United States on November 18 for a musical event organized by the Association of Pakistani Physicians of North America. His visa application, submitted by promoter Rehan Siddiqui, was rejected due to tax-related issues concerning the singer’s US income from 2015 to 2023.

Documents reveal that Rahat Fateh Ali Khan had been sponsored by four different promoters during this period, and he maintains that his concert income was subject to tax deductions, making it the promoters’ responsibility to settle the US taxes.

There is speculation about a potential informant who may have tipped off the US embassy regarding Rahat Fateh Ali Khan’s tax affairs, with suspicions that the individual may be someone close to the singer.

Rehan Siddiqui, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan’s new promoter in the US, acknowledges that this is his first show with the artist and emphasizes their responsibility to address the singer’s taxes, even in the absence of a granted visa.