Pakistani rapper Talha Anjum recently found himself at the centre of a heated online debate after a moment during his concert in Kathmandu, Nepal went viral. During the show, an audience member threw an Indian flag onto the stage. Anjum caught it, waved it, and briefly placed it over his shoulders. The gesture happened while he was performing “Kaun Talha,” a diss track aimed at Indian rapper Naezy, which added even more fuel to the debate.
The clip spread quickly across social media, and many Pakistani fans reacted strongly. A number of people questioned why he waved the flag, calling it an insensitive move. After days of criticism, Anjum finally addressed the issue on the 365 News morning show Rise and Shine, hosted by Nadia Khan and Zohaib Hassan.
While speaking on the show, Anjum explained that the situation on stage felt completely different in real time. He said he took the flag because the fan handed it to him respectfully, and he assumed it was a sign of support from his Indian listeners in the crowd. According to him, everything happened fast, and he did not realise how long he had held the flag.
“When you’re performing, you react instantly,” he said. “In that moment, I thought they were simply showing support.” He admitted that he could have handled it better and did not fully think about how it would look once the video spread online.
His apology comes after several days of discussions, especially because immediately after the performance, he had defended his action on social media. He even wrote that he would “do it again,” saying that his art has no borders.
Now, with his public apology, Talha Anjum hopes to bring the controversy to an end and reconnect with fans who felt hurt by the incident.