An unexpected event that was supposed to be a slick celebration of India’s infrastructure has turned into an Indo-Pak controversy for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). A nine-second social media reel promoting the Mumbai-Pune Missing Link has drawn sharp criticism after the party used “Safar”, a song by Lahore-based Pakistani alternative rock band Bayaan.
POV: You’re witnessing India’s next infrastructure marvel. ??
??. ??? ??????–???? ??????? ???? ? pic.twitter.com/iTnV3x9vhh
— BJP (@BJP4India) August 21, 2026
The BJP’s post was intended to showcase the newly opened infrastructure project as a symbol of modern engineering. Instead, the choice of background music quickly became the focus of attention. The video went viral on X, collecting around 1.2 million views, but the reactions were far less celebratory than the visuals may have intended.
“Safar” is not an obscure Pakistani track. Released by Bayaan in 2024, the song become a major hit across social media, particularly through Instagram Reels and TikTok. It has reportedly crossed 34.7 million Spotify streams, with around 294,000 streams being recorded each day, making it one of Bayaan’s fastest-growing releases.
The popularity may explain why the song found its way into the reel, but it also created an awkward political contradiction.
The controversy comes against the backdrop of India's restrictions on Pakistan-origin entertainment. In May 2025, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting advised OTT platforms, streaming services and digital intermediaries operating in India to discontinue Pakistan-origin web series, films, songs, podcasts and other media content, citing national security concerns. The advisory referred to the Information Technology Rules, 2021, and came amid heightened tensions following the Pahalgam terror attack.
The restrictions had already produced some striking examples in the entertainment industry. Pakistani performers who had appeared in Indian films were effectively disappearing from promotional artwork on major music platforms. Mawra Hocane’s image was removed from the album artwork for Sanam Teri Kasam, leaving only her Indian co-star Harshvardhan Rane. Mahira Khan similarly disappeared from promotional artwork associated with Shah Rukh Khan’s Raees. Reports at the time also noted changes involving Fawad Khan and other Pakistani performers.
Against that backdrop, the BJP’s use of a Pakistani song was almost guaranteed to attract scrutiny.
Social media users were quick to point out the apparent contradiction. Some reactions were angry, others sarcastic, and a few simply treated the incident as an amusing example of how music can cross political boundaries even when politics cannot.
