Mumbai: Popular band Sachal Jazz Ensemble had to call off its performance in Mumbai on Monday after the city police withheld permission for seven Pakistani artistes in the group to perform, local newspapers said on Tuesday.

They said the Lahore-based band consists of three British citizens and seven Pakistanis. The last-minute cancellation left a 1,000-strong crowd that had gathered to hear the internationally renowned band deeply disappointed.

The band had tweeted on Sunday night that it was going to perform “jazz and ragas” at the NCPA. The performance was to begin at 7pm; the show was cancelled at 7.40 pm after the permissions failed to come through.

“Permission (for the concert) was not given keeping the law and order situation in mind,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (spokesperson) Dhananjay Kulkarni said today.

“The organiser was informed about it on Sunday,” he added.

The band members include Nijat Ali (conductor), Nafees Khan (sitar), Baqar Abbas (flute), Ballu Khan (tabla), Rafiq Ahmed (naal), Najaf Ali (dholak, mardang), Asad Ali (guitar) and UK artistes Phillep Achille (harmonica and double bass) and Steve Lodder (piano).

The three UK citizens in the band were reportedly given approval by the police to perform in the city, but the permissions to the Pakistanis were held up, the papers said.

The band reportedly performed without any hitch in Delhi and Pune a few days ago before arriving here.

In February this year, a press conference attended by members of a music band from Pakistan was disrupted in Mumbai by Shiv Sena workers.