Krewella have been denied visas to perform at Sunburn Festival in India because of their Pakistani roots. Sisters Jahan Yousaf and Yasmine Yousaf are Pakistani-American, and have already performed twice in India back in 2014. The two took to Twitter and wrote a heartfelt letter about the situation.
“It is with heavy hearts that we inform you that due to our Pakistani heritage our visas have been repeatedly denied and we will not be able to enter your country for Sunburn Festival," wrote Krewella. "Our team tried every avenue possible but now have reached the end. We are so heartbroken since we were looking forward to being reunited with our Desi Krew. We hope the state of affairs between the two countries can be resolved someday soon.”
Due to unforeseen complications, we will not be playing @SunburnFestival :(
We are working to make it up to you guys as soon as possible! pic.twitter.com/m76FId6WIA— KREWELLA (@Krewella) December 26, 2016
The Guardian reports that travelers to India who reveal a family connection to Pakistan instigates the need for extra information and that visas require extra processing time, which can make a trip to India impossible.
One notable case was that of the Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Shaharyar Khan, who has reportedly held at the airport by immigration for several hours after he arrived through the wrong entry.
This is the 10-year anniversary of the Sunburn Festival, which runs from Dec. 28 to Dec. 31. The festival includes headliners Afrojack, Armin Van Buuren and Axwell & Ingresso. Krewella had been slated to perform on Dec. 29.
