Krewella will not play India’s Sunburn Festival this weekend after the duo were reportedly denied visas because of their Pakistani heritage, according to Billboard.
Jahan Yousaf and Yasmine Yousaf, the two Pakistani-American sisters who perform as Krewella, broke the news on Twitter.
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
“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,” the sisters wrote. “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.”
As The Guardian notes, disclosing a connection to Pakistan “triggers demands for extra information and a long processing period, which in many cases makes travel to India impossible.” Whereas requests for Indian visas for most U.S. citizens will be processed in 3 to 5 days, it takes a minimum of six weeks for requests from Americans of Pakistani heritage.