The day the music died: Grim future awaits Afghanistan’s refugee musicians in Pakistan 

Afghan music students play the sitar in Herat on August 21, 2013. (AFP/File)
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Updated 25 September 2021
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The day the music died: Grim future awaits Afghanistan’s refugee musicians in Pakistan 

  • The Taliban had banned most forms of music when the group previously ruled Afghanistan in 1996-2001
  • Since coming to power last month, Taliban say they will allow cultural activities within confines of Islamic law

PESHAWAR: The day the Taliban entered the Afghan capital on August 15, Rafi Haneef knew he had to flee immediately. 

The very next day, the harmonium player and dozens of his fellow musicians from Kabul crossed over into neighboring Pakistan through the Chaman border, fearing violence and persecution from a hard-liner group that banned most forms of music when it previously ruled Afghanistan in 1996-2001. 

Since returning to power as US soldiers withdrew from the country last month, the Taliban have told Afghans, and the international community, that they will uphold rights and allow cultural activities — within the confines of Islamic law.

But Afghans artists have no hope they will play again under a Taliban government. 

“The entire music industry collapsed the day the Taliban appeared in Kabul on August 15,” Haneef told Arab News in an interview this week from the Pakistani city of Peshawar in the country’s northwest. “Taliban consider music haram (forbidden), but we can’t live without music.”

Sadiq Sameer, a player of the lute-like instrument called the rubab, said he fled Afghanistan the day after the Taliban captured Kabul, leaving behind a ten-member family, including his six children. His cherished rubab is also lost in Kabul.

Sameer was a known figure in Afghanistan and a regular performer at private events and on major TV channels like ToloNews and Shamshad TV. 

“That morning was the most terrible of my life when I left my family,” Sameer said. “Upon my family’s insistence, the next morning after the Taliban seized power in Kabul, I somehow managed to cross over the Chaman border and reached Peshawar after a 24-hour perilous journey.”

The concerns of Sameer’s family are not unfounded. 

The dangers facing musicians in Afghanistan were brutally highlighted in the final months of the Taliban insurgency, when the group carried out targeted attacks on those it said had betrayed its vision of Islamic rule. 

Since the Taliban captured power in Afghanistan, members of an all-female orchestra have either left the country or destroyed their instruments and gone into hiding. In Kandahar, the birthplace of the Taliban, the group issued a formal order against radio stations playing music and female announcers last month. International media has shown footage of armed Taliban fighters guarding the shuttered Afghanistan National Institute of Music.

There have been other changes that point to the austere tone of the new Taliban rulers. 

Colorful signs outside beauty parlours have been whitewashed, traditional dress has replaced jeans and radio stations have switched from their normal menu of Hindi and Persian pop and call-in shows to somber patriotic music. 

Even in Pakistan, things will not be easy for artists like Haneef who had to leave his instruments behind.

“I can’t do anything else except music because my family background is music,” Haneef said. “My father was a music teacher, and my brothers and cousins are all musicians.”

In Afghanistan he said he was able to earn a decent living by playing up to twenty wedding parties and other events a month.

“I fled Kabul for Peshawar with only two suits,” Haneef said. “Now I’m worried about how to feed my kids.”

Sameer echoed the sentiment, saying he had lived a “happy life” in Kabul as a performer and teacher of the rubab but was now “miserable” in Peshawar where he was temporarily staying at the house of a friend.

“How long can you stay as a guest with someone? I’m in deep trouble, worrying about my future and my family in Kabul.”

The only thing he had to look forward to was moving his family to Pakistan so they could “face all odds together.”

“My life is shattered and I’m at God’s mercy without any hope for a better tomorrow,” Sameer said. 

The future looks grim indeed, since work won’t be easy to find in Pakistan, particularly in its northwest where the music industry has been badly hurt by years of militant violence and now the coronavirus pandemic. 

In the early 2000s, after conservative religious parties sympathetic to the Taliban rode to power in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, of which Peshawar is the capital, they banned music on public transportation and concerts at Nishtar Hall, Peshawar’s only theater venue. Landlords were forced to evict musicians from the Dabgari neighborhood in Peshawar’s old city, where they had lived for generations, and turned a blind eye to attacks on music shops. 

At least thirteen prominent artists, particularly women Pashtun singers, were killed by Pakistan’s indigenous Taliban movement between 2008 and 2017, the heyday of the insurgency, according to a report published by a major Pakistani newspaper, The News. Most were killed in or near Peshawar city.

And now, the coronavirus pandemic has destroyed whatever was left of an already dying industry in the region.

Ajmal Khan, a director at the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Directorate of Culture, said Afghan musicians would be eligible for a planned Rs500 million ($3 million) grant to support provincial artists.

“We will very soon release the grant to disburse among musicians,” Khan said. “We will also help facilitate Afghan musicians too.”

It was unclear when the grant would be distributed but civil society members were skeptical it would reach Afghan artists. 

“I don’t think the KP government will extend a helping hand,” Rashid Khan, chief of the Hunari Tolana Welfare Society (HTWS), told Arab News.

The organization, which supports performers, is planning to seek help from the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) and the UN development agency (UNDP).

“We’re preparing a proposal,” Khan said, “to request UNHCR and UNDP to financially support our artist guests from Afghanistan.”


Over 51,000 tourists visited northwestern Pakistan during first two days of Eid

Updated 03 April 2025
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Over 51,000 tourists visited northwestern Pakistan during first two days of Eid

  • Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s picturesque Naran valley sees highest number of tourists, 28,112, says tourism authority
  • Northwestern Pakistan is home to many picturesque locations, scenic spots dotted with mountains, valleys and lakes

PESHAWAR: Over 51,000 tourists flocked to various picturesque destinations across Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province during the first two days of the Eid Al-Fitr holidays, the provincial tourism authority spokesperson said this week. 

The northwestern province is home to many picturesque locations and scenic spots dotted with mountains, valleys and lakes. Some of the popular tourist spots in the province can be found in Swat Valley, Malam Jabba, Abbottabad, Kaghan, Naran and Shogran which Pakistanis from all over the country visit during Eid holidays.

Pakistan marked the three-day Eid Al-Fitr holiday, which is celebrated by Muslims across the world when the fasting month of Ramadan ends, from Mar. 31-Apr. 2.

“Tourists flocked to various tourist destinations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Eid-Al-Fitr,” Muhammad Saad, the spokesperson for the KP Tourism Authority, said in a statement on Wednesday. 

“More than 51,000 tourists were recorded in the first two days.”

He said the highest number of tourists came to KP’s scenic Naran valley, 28,112, during the first two days and the Galiyat region saw 17,000 visitors during the same time period. 

At least 3,100 tourists visited Kumrat valley, he added. 

“Tourism police personnel are performing their duty at various tourist destinations,” the official said. 

Tourism saw a massive surge in KP during last year’s Eid holidays, registering an increase of over 360 percent compared to 2023. As per data released by the provincial tourism authority last year, at least 580,000 tourists visited northwestern Pakistan during the five-day holidays in April 2024. 

While Pakistan’s inflation has declined considerably since last year, militant attacks, particularly in KP, have peaked recently. 

Militant attacks in Pakistan surpassed 100 in March for the first time in over nine years, marking it to be the deadliest month since 2015, leading security think tank Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS) said on Tuesday.

The think tank said KP and Balochistan were the hardest hit provinces last month, though Punjab and Sindh also experienced an uptick in militant activity.

Islamabad has repeatedly blamed Afghanistan for providing shelter to militant groups targeting civilians and security forces in cross-border attacks in KP, an allegation denied by the authorities in Kabul.
 


Inside National Library’s digitization project to preserve Pakistan’s literary heritage

Updated 02 April 2025
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Inside National Library’s digitization project to preserve Pakistan’s literary heritage

  • Library has digitized over 5.4 million pages, scanning about 15,000 pages daily between 2018 to 2021
  • Top official says greater number of scanners, more funds can further enhance digitization capacity 

ISLAMABAD: For staff at Pakistan’s leading reference and research library, the biggest challenge is handling an overwhelming volume of data and lack of funds, the facility’s director general said this week, detailing a digitization campaign launched nearly eight years ago to preserve the country’s literary and journalistic heritage.

Established in 1951 in the federal capital of Islamabad, the National Library is the country’s largest repository of printed material and serves as the official legal depository for a variety of publications.

According to Director General Rana Javed Iqbal, the library’s main objective is to comply with the Copyright Ordinance of 1968, which mandates the preservation of “the best copy” of all publications in Pakistan, including newspapers and periodicals.

The ordinance is a legal framework designed to protect the rights of creators and authors over their original works. One of its sections mandates that a copy of every published work produced in the country, such as books and newspapers, be deposited with the library for preservation.

“In 2018, a decision was made to digitize 16 major newspapers covering the period from 1968 to 2015,” Iqbal told Arab News. “We have digitized over 5.4 million pages in Urdu and English, scanning approximately 15,000 pages daily from 2018 to 2021.”

One of the biggest challenges in the endeavor was “handling the sheer volume of data,” with the library receiving around 300-350 newspapers daily in various languages, a problem exacerbated by financial constraints.

The library is now developing Optical Character Recognition (OCR) capabilities in both English and Urdu, a technology that converts scanned text into machine-readable format, enabling efficient keyword and title searches for easier access to digitized records. 

The primary objective of the digitization exercise is to make access to information more convenient for students and scholars, eliminating the need for manual searches and enabling users to retrieve information within minutes on their desktops. 

The National Library also actively collaborates with government departments to prevent duplication of digitization efforts, ensuring a more streamlined and efficient approach to preserving Pakistan’s printed heritage.

“Our goal is to digitize all magazines and newspapers under copyright,” Iqbal said. “Increasing the number of scanners would further enhance our capacity.

“Digitizing is an ongoing process,” he added. “We continue to receive a large volume of newspapers, and we are working on digitizing publications from 2016 onward.”

The library initially outsourced the digitization process, but later decided to bring it in-house to reduce costs and maintain efficiency by acquiring its own equipment and leveraging skilled staff.

Iqbal said 11,000 rare books and manuscripts had also been digitized, though access was only available on various campuses, with plans to upload them online.

“Our next major initiative involves digitizing 1,500 different magazines,” he said. “We have also undertaken the digitization of the Gazette of Pakistan from 1949 onward.”

Speaking to Arab News, Rana Asad Ullah Khan, a serving additional attorney general who was visiting the facility this week, praised the library management for preserving valuable written material to promote art, education and culture.

“I found a treasure of newspapers in this library which I couldn’t in Lahore,” said Khan, who is researching the history of the Lahore High Court Bar Association, which was founded in 1861.


Pakistani actor Fawad Khan’s Bollywood comeback film to release on May 9

Updated 02 April 2025
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Pakistani actor Fawad Khan’s Bollywood comeback film to release on May 9

  • “Abir Gulaal” features prominent Indian actress Vaani Kapoor who plays lead role and Khan’s love interest 
  • Khan was last seen in a Bollywood flick in 2016 before unofficial ban on Pakistani artists by Indian producers

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani actor Fawad Khan will mark his Bollywood comeback with the upcoming film “Abir Gulaal” on May 9, as per a teaser of the flick released this week. 

The movie features Indian actress Vaani Kapoor in the lead role alongside Khan. Abir Gulaal has been directed by filmmaker Aarti S. Bagdi and produced by “Indian Stories” and “A Richer Lens” in association with Aarjay Pictures. 

Producers of the flick include Vivek B. Agrawal, who has been involved with stellar Indian hits such as “Queen,” “Udta Punjab,” “Sacred Games,” and Avantika Hari and Rakesh Sippy.

“The wait is over!” Kapoor wrote in an Instagram post alongside the teaser on April 1. “Bringing love back to the big screen with Abir Gulaal and Fawad Khan. See you in cinemas on 9th May!“

(please embed Vaani Kapoor Instagram post here)

The teaser of the movie features Khan sitting behind the steering wheel of a car, crooning an iconic Bollywood song with Kapoor in the passenger seat beside him while it rains outside.

“This heartwarming tale unfolds in the picturesque streets of London, weaving a love story filled with unexpected turns, tender moments, and pure magic,” the film’s synopsis states. 

“Audiences can expect a delightful blend of laughter, tender moments, and the undeniable chemistry between Fawad Khan and Vaani Kapoor.”

Khan enjoys heartthrob status in both Pakistan and India. He has played the lead in Bollywood hits “Khoobsurat” (2014) and “Kapoor & Sons” (2016). He also starred in “Ms. Marvel” (2022) and “The Legend of Maula Jatt” (2022), Pakistan’s biggest hit of all time.

Khan’s impressive run in Bollywood came to a halt due to an unofficial ban on Pakistani artists by Indian producers in 2016 as tensions between both neighboring countries escalated. Pakistan has also banned the screening of Indian movies after ties with New Delhi reached a new low in 2019 over the disputed Kashmir region.

However, in 2023, the Bombay High Court dismissed a petition seeking to officially ban Pakistani artists from working in India. 

“Arts, music, sports, culture, dance, and so on are the activities which rise above nationalities, cultures, and nations and truly bring about peace, tranquility, unity, and harmony in nation and between nations,” the court had said in its ruling.

The movie, however, has already earned the ire of India’s conservative politician Raj Thackeray.

A few hours after the teaser released, Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) party opposed the film’s release in Maharashtra. 

“We only learned about this film’s release today when the makers announced it,” MNS spokesperson Ameya Khopkar told Dainik Bhaskar, a Hindi-language newspaper, on Tuesday. 

“But we are making it clear that we will not allow this film to release in Maharashtra because it features a Pakistani actor. Under no circumstances will we permit such films to be released in the state,” he added. 

Previously, the Indian release of Khan’s Maula Jatt film was paused after a right-wing fringe group objected to it.


Amroti ‘Water’ Mosque: Century-old symbol of faith and resistance in southern Pakistan

Updated 02 April 2025
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Amroti ‘Water’ Mosque: Century-old symbol of faith and resistance in southern Pakistan

  • Mosque was built around 1890 under guidance of Syed Taj Mahmood Shah Amroti, first translator of Qur’an into Sindhi language 
  • Mosque’s location became problem when British wanted to built Sukkur Barrage but resistance by Amroti and followers forced retreat 

SHIKARPUR, Sindh: Standing on seven pillars in the middle of the Kirthar Canal, a unique mosque in Pakistan’s southern Shikarpur district is more than just a place of worship — it is a symbol of defiance and resistance against British colonial rule.

With its whitewashed walls rising above the flowing waters, the Amroti Mosque’s architecture is as unique as its story.

The mosque was first constructed from mud, wood and palm tree trunks on a mound around 1890 under the guidance of scholar and educationalist Syed Taj Mahmood Shah Amroti, who was the first to translate the Holy Qur’an into the Sindhi landguage and provide detailed explanations of its teachings. For years, the mosque served as a place of workshop for the residents of Junejo village in Shikarpur until its location became an issue when the British colonial rulers of India decided to build the Sukkur Barrage and its canals, ordering the demolition of the masjid.

Historical accounts say Amroti sent over 20 letters to authorities asking to change the canal’s route but received no response and the British eventually issued a warrant for his arrest.

“In 1922, the British government started the Kirthar Canal project to irrigate uncultivated lands of Sindh and Balochistan [provinces],” Sayed Rushdullah Shah Amroti, the administrator of Amroti Mosque and the great grandson of Amroti, told Arab News. 

The picture taken on March 19, 2025, shows blue tiles in the Amroti Mosque in Pakistan’s southern Shikarpur district. (AN Photo)

“When Hazrat Amroti came to know that the British government wanted to demolish the mosque, he decided to camp here and offered stiff resistance to British authorities.”

When British officials arrived with machines to demolish the mosque, local villagers joined Amroti in a massive protest. In the end, the British agreed not to destroy the mosque and instead promised to strengthen its structure so that both the mosque and the canal could remain.

“The impact of the resistance was that the British government was forced to kneel down,” Sayed said. “They left the mosque as it was and made the canal around its four sides.”

The mosque in its present shape was subsequently built, serving as a reminder of the importance of both faith and rebellion as it stood amid the waters of the Kirthar Canal, which originates from the Indus River at Sukkur Barrage and became operational in 1932 as a vital watercourse for Balochistan, particularly districts like Jafarabad and Naseerabad. 

The picture taken on March 19, 2025, shows Amroti Mosque constructed in the middle of Kirthar Canal in Pakistan’s southern Shikarpur district. (AN Photo)


“STRANGE SPIRITUAL STATE” 

In the past, residents would use boats to reach Amroti Mosque for prayers but after independence from British rule in 1947 and the creation of the two separate nations of Pakistan and India, the government rebuilt a proper structure for the mosque, constructed a bridge for easier access and ensured that water continued to flow beneath it.

Though the small mosque only allows 10-12 people to pray at a time, it holds great cultural and spiritual value for the people of the area.

“We are very proud of the religious and Islamic achievements of our ancestors, and wherever we go in the world, the respect we receive because of our connection to Amroti Sharif is largely due to the role of this mosque,” Rushdullah said.

Nasim Bukhari, a local writer, described the mosque as a “great symbol of resistance in history.” 

Worshippers pray at the Amroti Mosque in Pakistan’s southern Shikarpur district. (AN Photo)

“And this has been the history of Sindh, that we have never accepted defeat. Even if we had to face defeat, we would die with our names still alive. We never ran away,” he said. 

Amroti’s struggle was part of a larger resistance movement in Sindh, according to Bukhari.

“Syed Taj Mahmood Amroti fought against the British in his time and became a symbol of resistance. The people of that time, unarmed, fought with perseverance,” the author said, highlighting Amroti as an inspiration for others. One of his disciples, Syed Salah Aajiz Memon, later became the first Sindhi and Muslim figure against whom the British filed a case for rebellion.

“The name and deeds of our leader, Syed Taj Mahmood Amroti, have had their impact, but the resistance movement led by his followers and disciples also carries a remarkable legacy,” Bukhari said.

The picture taken on March 19, 2025, shows aerial view of the Amroti Mosque constructed in the middle of Kirthar Canal in Pakistan’s southern Shikarpur district. (AN Photo)

To date, the mosque continues to serve as a place of deep spirituality and worshippers describe a “profound sense of peace” at the place, especially when the water runs high and the mosque appears to be floating in the canal.

“While praying here, a strange spiritual state occurs,” Maulana Shahnawaz Baloch, the prayer leader at the mosque, told Arab News. 

“At this time, the water level is low, yet there is still a spiritual atmosphere. When the water level is higher due to the season, a completely different spiritual experience takes place.”

 

 


Pakistan warns Afghan Citizen Card holders of legal action as expulsion deadline expires

Updated 02 April 2025
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Pakistan warns Afghan Citizen Card holders of legal action as expulsion deadline expires

  • Pakistan issued a Mar. 31 deadline for ACC holders to return voluntarily to Afghanistan 
  • Since 2023, state-run media says Pakistan has deported around 886,000 Afghan nationals 

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s state broadcaster on Wednesday warned Afghan Citizen Card holders and “illegal foreigners” of strict legal action as the deadline for them to return to their countries voluntarily expired this week.

Islamabad last month announced a deadline of Mar. 31 for Afghans in Pakistan holding ACCs, a certain immigration document, to leave the country. The move was part of Pakistan’s larger drive to expel what it says are illegal immigrants from the country. 

Pakistani authorities maintain Afghan nationals have been involved in militant attacks and organized crime, accusations Kabul denies. Islamabad’s decision to hasten the expulsion of Afghans holding ACCs has coincided with the Eid Al-Fitr celebrations, casting a shadow over the religious holiday for thousands of Afghan families. 

“Strict legal action will be initiated against the illegal foreigners and Afghan Citizen Card holders as the deadline given to them to leave the country has expired,” state broadcaster Radio Pakistan said. 

It added that the process of repatriation of Afghan nationals to their country is continuing. 

“As of now, the total number of returnees stands at around 886,000,” the state broadcaster said.

ACCs were issued by Pakistani authorities and are held by 800,000 Afghans, according to the United Nations. A government official told AFP on condition of anonymity that the Mar. 31 deadline has been extended until the beginning of next week due to Eid holidays. However, no official confirmation of the extension was announced. 

More than 1.3 million Afghans who hold Proof of Registration (PoR) cards from the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, are also to be moved outside the capital Islamabad and the neighboring city of Rawalpindi. 

The UN says nearly three million Afghans live in Pakistan, many having fled there over decades of war in their country and after the return of the Taliban to power in Afghanistan.

Pakistan kicked off its deportation drive in 2023 amid a surge in violence by armed groups like the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), whose leaders Islamabad claims are based in Afghanistan, a charge rejected by the Taliban administration.

The move has further soured Islamabad’s ties with Kabul. Afghanistan’s Refugees Minister Mawlavi Abdul Kabir on Tuesday requested Pakistan to halt the deportations and allow Afghans to return to their country voluntarily. 

“He emphasized the importance of humane treatment for refugees, especially in light of reports of mistreatment of Afghans by border nations, including instances where individuals holding legal visas were also deported,” Afghan state news agency Bakhtar said. 

International rights groups have also urged Islamabad to halt the deportations, warning that some returning Afghans could face threats under Taliban rule.

Pakistan insists it is carrying out the deportation campaign in a humane manner, saying it respects the dignity of all Afghan nationals.