Pakistani singer Ustad Rahat Fateh Ali Khan was barred from entry when he landed in Hyderabad on Thursday and was asked to return to Abu Dhabi. He had travelled to perform at a New Year event at the Taj Falaknuma Palace. Immigration authorities at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad attributed the deportation to “technical flaws”.

Indian immigration rules do not allow Pakistani nationals to land in any city besides Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata. The Times of India reported that the organisers of the event he was scheduled to perform at intervened and managed to get a clearance from the Ministry of Home Affairs. Khan then took a flight from Abu Dhabi to New Delhi and later reached Hyderabad via a chartered flight.