Singer and former Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) member Abrar-ul-Haq has apologised for performing at a concert in London shortly after he quit the political party.

In conversation with host Waseem Badami, the singer addressed the criticism he received at a recent performance in London, where he came under fire for performing for a housing society event which is owned by former PTI leader Aleem Khan.

Haq clarified the concert was organised as a charity event to benefit a hospital under the umbrella of Sahara for Life Trust and not for a housing society as people speculated online.

Haq is the founder and chairman of Sahara for Life Trust, a private organisation that aims to provide health and education services to remote areas, and is seen as a leading charity in both the United States and the United Kingdom.

He also explained that the concert had been scheduled two months prior to his leaving the PTI.

“It is not Aleem Khan’s housing scheme, it is a property expo, which includes several big names of real estate,” he said.

“If I have hurt people’s sentiments, then I apologise for it,” he added.

“If I hadn’t performed there, our registration for Sahara would have been cancelled in London, there would have been legal repercussions from reneging on my commitment.”

“However, if people are unhappy with me, then I should not have been there.”

Denying media reports that he was mobbed by PTI workers, Haq said the miscreants who targeted him were “planted people”.

“After the concert, there was no one from PTI there. They were planted people and journalists who attacked me and said they wanted to question me,” he further added.

“My team was stopping me from responding to the media and that altercation was captured on camera.”

Haq is one of several PTI members and leaders to part ways with the party in the last few weeks, following the incidents on May 9 and resulting crackdown on protesters and PTI leaders. He joins Fawad Chaudhry, Shireen Mazari, Fayyazul Hassan Chohan, Maleeka Bokhari and several other party leaders.

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Abrar-ul-Haq is a veteral Pakistani singer-songwriter, philanthropist and politician. His very first album ‘Billo De Ghar’ debuted in 1995 and sold over 40.3 million albums worldwide.

He is a recipient of a Tamgha-e-Imtiaz for his contributions to music and philanthropy. Haq also received a Sitara-e-Eisaar for outstanding humanitarian relief work following the earthquake in October 2005 in Pakistan.