After facing huge backlash over his viral videos for cruelly beating a man, internationally acclaimed singer Ustad Rahat Fateh Ali Khan tendered his apology in a new video.

“I recorded this special message to apologise to everyone,” Pakistan’s music maestro said in his latest video, adding: “I am bowing head before the Allah Almighty to seek pardon. I should behave like this as a human being, and especially as an artist.”

Admitting his mistake for his inhumane treatment which was caught on camera, Khan said that his family was associated with the Qawwali art for the last 600 years which hails the message of love, peace and brotherhood.

“I want to apologise to all of my family members, close friends, and especially my fans whose sentiments were hurt. I will not repeat this mistake,” the singer, known for the greatest qawwals of all time, expressed his regret.

He also said that he took the flood of criticism positively which made him realise his mistake and he also respected those who boycotted him to teach him a lesson for his own good.

“People don’t want to see their artist like this. I truly apologise for my deed.”

Meanwhile, he pointed out a “gang” making deliberate attempts to defame him and planned to release “more videos”. “It wasn’t a coincidence that my videos surfaced following a press conference,” Khan said while pointing fingers at his press statement to part ways with globally acclaimed music and concert producer Salman Ahmed who managed the musician for 12 years.

He claimed that the much-criticised video of him was “nine months old” and he knew the conspirators to release more videos which they recorded without his consent.

Khan said that the attempts to defame him would fail as he would continue to sing, however, he felt sorry “only for this action”. He also predicted that some “planted and fabricated videos” could be released in the coming days.

In the concluding remarks, he also apologised to his co-artists, female artists, the music industry and his music directors.

The singer found himself at the centre of a grave controversy after a short video clip of him violently beating a man, who is said to be his “student”, went viral on social media Saturday night.

The highly graphic video made rounds on social media and #RahatFatehAliKhan became a top trend on microblogging site X in Pakistan.

The video sent shockwaves through the music industry and on social media as the netizens questioned Rahat’s conduct and raised concerns about ‘substance’ abuse.

Taking the seriousness of the matter into account, Rahat responded to the controversy and issued a clarification that the matter was not the same in reality as apparent in the video.

The artist, who is the nephew of Qawwali king Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, shared multiple videos on Instagram containing similar clarifications about the matter.

Bearing the brunt of his violent video, the anti-violence British Asian Trust, founded by King Charles III, announced it to no longer be associated with Khan after the singer’s video went viral showing him slapping and assaulting a band member.