Pakistan truck drivers pay homage to Sidhu Moosewala, put up his portraits on trucks

More than two weeks after Shubhdeep Singh alias Sidhu Moosewala was shot dead at a village in Mansa of Punjab, the slain singer-rapper has now occupied a rare space across the border.

His fans from Pakistan are paying him tributes by putting up his portraits on their vehicles such as trucks, bikes, cars etc. But one such video that has gone viral is that of a truck driver from Pakistan who could be seen posing with the huge portrait of the singer, which he has installed on the back of his truck. The caption on the portrait says ’29-5′ which signifies two things — Moosewala’s popular song titled ‘295’ and the date on which he was killed ‘May 29.’

Sidhu Moosewala imprinted on a bike in Pakistan.

In the neighbouring country, trucks are not just a means of transporting goods but a part of the post-independence heritage where drivers have a fascination to adorn and beautify the vehicles “like a bride”. With its roots in Afghanistan and Pakistan, ‘Truck Art’ is an internationally recognised artform, with not just the murals but also hand-painted portraits of known personalities adorning the truck’s back view. However, an Indian Sikh singer occupying that space, which till now was mostly reserved for Pakistani national heroes and local actors/singers, is quite rare.

It is said that in Pakistan if you have your picture on a truck, it means you are in the hearts of the people. The28-year old singer-rapper was extremely popular and loved across the border. “It is because of his humble beginnings and struggle in life and the close to reality lyrics of his songs that people here connect with him. There is a huge craze for Punjabi songs here and people who aren’t even fluent in Punjabi, listen to them, especially youths. His song ‘295’ was a huge hit here and every other person is familiar with its lyrics,” said Rizwan Mughal from Rawalpindi, the son of a truck artist.

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“It is basically the cultural similarities between both the countries that connect its people too. The section 295, in the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) also deals with insulting a religion, as in case of Indian Penal Code (IPC),” said another youth from Pakistan.

Moosewala had also announced his Pakistan tour with live shows in Lahore and Islamabad “before 2022 ends”.

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