78% Believe Rahat Fateh Ali Khan’s Assault on His Protégé Was Justified

A viral video of renowned Pakistani singer Rahat Fateh Ali Khan shows the singer thrashing a man he claims is his protege. The video goes on to show Khan assaulting the man with his footwear.

Real Research, an online survey app, revealed that a shocking 100% of respondents were of Rahat Fateh Ali Khan assaulting his ‘protege’.

Highlights:

• 78.12% believe that Rahat Fateh Ali Khan assaulting his ‘protege’ was a justified decision.
• 76.45% agree with the British Asian Trust’s decision to cut ties with Khan after he assaulted his protege.
• 7/10 respondents support Khan’s view on mentor-mentee relationships.

Was Rahat Fateh Ali Khan Intoxicated?

The video shows Pakistani singer Rahat Fateh Ali Khan assaulting his ‘protege’ and demanding he disclose the location of a bottle. The bottle isn’t visible in the video, and its contents are unknown. Khan’s behavior led some to believe it was liquor, but he claimed it contained holy water blessed by a cleric. Netizens doubted his claim.

In light of this, 56% of respondents believe it is likely that Khan had alcohol in his bottle, while 44% think it was holy water.

Rahat Fateh Ali Khan on Assaulting His Disciple

Responding to backlash after the video went viral, the singer explained himself on a podcast. Khan said, “He is my protege, and I accepted that I scolded and trashed him. Later, I apologized, but the truth is, he had my holy water with him. People are not understanding the intensity of the situation. It’s a very serious matter for me as it involves my spiritual guide.”

In response to this, 78% of respondents (highly justified, 48.27% + somewhat justified, 29.85%) believe that Rahat Fateh Ali Khan assaulting his ‘protege’ was a justified decision. However, 12% of respondents believe the decision was somewhat unjustified, and 10% think it was highly unjustified.

Public Perception of the Protege’s Statement

The student (protege) in question, Naveed Hasnain, said the bottle in fact contained water blessed by a spiritual leader. Referring to the video, the student said, “God only knows how much

love he [Khan] shows us.” Netizens had varying opinions about this. 71% of respondents (probably, 43.32% + definitely, 27.92%) believe the student is telling the truth.

However, 23% of respondents believe the student is probably not telling the truth, and 6% think he definitely is not telling the truth.

The British Asian Trust

Khan was named an ambassador for the British Asian Trust in 2017, with then-Prince Charles announcing his appointment. However, following the recent video of the assault, the trust has cut ties with the singer, saying it is no longer associated with him.

76.45% of respondents (somewhat agree, 40.58% + strongly agree, 35.87%) agree with the British Asian Trust’s decision to cut ties with Khan. However, 19% of respondents somewhat disagree, and 5% strongly disagree with the British Trust Agency’s decision to cut ties with Khan.

Mentor-Mentee Relationships

Khan stated, “This is the nature of the relationship between a mentor and his follower. I show love to a disciple when he does well, and he faces consequences if he commits a transgression.”

Nearly 71% of respondents (41.55% agree + 28.95% strongly agree) support Khan’s view on mentor-mentee relationships. In contrast, 23% disagree and 7% strongly disagree with his opinion.

The Public’s Opinion on Khan

Finally, 39% of respondents said the incident has changed their opinion of Khan, 34% are not familiar with the artist, and 27% said the incident has not affected their opinion of him.