Rapper Talha Anjum, who sparked controversy over the weekend after waving the Indian flag during a performance in Nepal, has publicly apologized to Pakistani fans on Thursday.

Speaking at a recently interview in a private news channel, he addressed the viral clip in which a concertgoer handed him an Indian flag mid-performance. The Young Stunners rapper was seen waving the flag and then placing it over his shoulders, prompting swift backlash online.

Explaining the moment, Anjum said it felt completely different from the audience’s perspective. The incident occurred while he was performing Kaun Talha, a diss track aimed at Indian rapper Naezy, and he misunderstood the gesture as a sign of support from Indian fans present in the crowd.

“I was performing ‘Kaun Talha’ when an Indian guy handed me the flag,” he said. “In the heat of the moment, I took it. He gave it respectfully.” He said he perceived it as the crowd’s way of showing they were ‘there for him’ despite the rivalry implied in the song.

When the host suggested he could have put the flag aside, Anjum admitted he didn’t realise how long he held it. “In that moment, I didn’t realise how many seconds I stood there holding it,” he said.

His apology follows days of heated debate - made worse by his initial reaction after the show, where he insisted he would ‘do it again’. At the time, he posted on X, “My heart has no place for hate. My art has no borders… If raising an Indian flag sparks controversy, so be it. I’ll do it again.”

However, on the show, when asked by the co-host whether this apology was ‘unconditional’, Anjum responded clearly: yes.

“To everyone whose heart was hurt by anything I did, I apologise,” he said. “If you aren’t there, I’m not there. I am what I am because of Pakistan. Everywhere I go, they call me the finest or biggest Pakistani rapper,” he added.