'We hate our army, you left at the right time...': Adnan Sami shares conversation with a Pakistani tourist in Baku

Singer Adnan Sami has said he left Pakistan because he realised the country’s army was not a force for good. His comments came while recounting a recent interaction with young men from Pakistan during his visit to Baku, Azerbaijan.

Singer shares views during Baku visit

“Met some very sweet Pakistani boys while walking on the beautiful streets of Baku,” Sami wrote on X. “They said, ‘Sir, you are very lucky. You left Pakistan at a good time. We also want to change our citizenship. We hate our army. They have destroyed our country!’ I replied, ‘I knew this long ago!’”

Sami, who was born in the UK to a Pakistani father and an Indian mother, moved to India in 2001. He became an Indian citizen in 2016 after holding dual citizenship in Pakistan and Canada.

Reaction comes amid Pahalgam attack aftermath

The post came days after the Pahalgam attack in Jammu and Kashmir, in which 26 people were killed. The incident is being seen as the worst attack in the region since the Pulwama terror strike in 2019. Mr Sami called the attack a “horrific crime against humanity.”

Online exchange with Pakistani politician

After India advised Pakistani nationals to leave following the Pahalgam attack, a journalist pointed to the government’s directive on social media. In response, Pakistani politician and former Information and Broadcasting Minister Fawad Chaudhry commented, “What about Adnan Sami?”

Sami replied, “Who’s going to tell this illiterate idiot!” In a separate response, he referred to Mr Chaudhry as a “dumba**” and added, “My roots are from Peshawar, not Lahore. To think that you were Minister of (Mis) Information and have no knowledge about any information!”

Sami then corrected Hussain's claim that he was from Lahore, clarifying that his family roots are in Peshawar and that his mother was from Jammu and Kashmir. He further questioned Hussain's knowledge, stating, "To think that you were Minister of (Mis) Information and have no knowledge of any information... And you were Minister of Science? Was that the science of BULLST??"

Sami first came to India in 2001 on a visitor's visa. After his Pakistani passport expired in 2015 and was not renewed, he requested Indian citizenship, which was granted on humanitarian grounds.

Singer has earlier criticised Pakistan’s establishment

In 2022, Sami clarified that his criticism was directed at Pakistan’s establishment, not its people. “I have major issues with the establishment,” he said in a social media post.

He added, “Those who truly know me will also know what that establishment did to me for many years, which ultimately became one of the big reasons for me to leave Pakistan. One day, soon, I will expose the reality of how they treated me, which not many know, least of all the general public. It will shock many.”