ISLAMABAD: In Pakistan’s northwestern tribal district of South Waziristan, music has for decades suffered from the twin afflictions of militancy and a conservative culture that views artistic endeavors as unIslamic.

But this never deterred Maqsood-ur-Rehman, alias Maqsood Maseed, who decided even as a young child that he would pursue music full-time, often singing the national anthem during the morning assembly at the Rishwara Primary School in his village of Barwand in South Waziristan.

Today, the 24-year-old music composer and harmonium and rubab player is only the second person from Pakistan’s vast northwestern tribal areas who has studied music formally, and the first to have done so and gone on to become a professional performer and music teacher. He has also amassed thousands of followers on social media, no small feat for a musician from the tribal regions.

“It’s a bold step and bold initiative,” said Roohi Kashfi, a film director, producer and cinematographer from the Parachinar tribal district, commenting on Maseed’s life and musical trajectory.

In an interview with Arab News, Maseed described a childhood in which he was shunned by relatives, even his siblings, for choosing to pursue formal musical training. His mother was the only person who supported him and he recalled her kissing his hands when they were covered in blisters from long hours of practicing instruments: “I can’t forget her love during those hard days.”

After receiving his high school education in Dera Ismail Khan - a city close to his hometown where his family migrated to escape militant attacks and army operations to quell them - Maseed moved to Lahore to study musicology at Pakistan’s top art school, the National College of Arts (NCA). He also went on to study under renowned singer and musician Ghulam Abbas Gul Dhervi, a recipient of the country’s highest civilian award, the Tamgha-e-Imtiaz.

“I formally started [studying] music in 2018 and now attend concerts at universities and weddings,” Maseed, who currently lives in Islamabad and works as a music instructor at the Pakistani Ministry of Human Rights, said.

Rashid Khan, president of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Hunari Tolana, a Pashto literary and cultural organization, said he hoped people like Maseed would help revive music in the tribal areas after years of violence and militancy.

“Tribal areas had a stifling environment for Pashto music and it gives me consolation to see young performers in the field from the border areas,” Khan said. “God bestowed Maseed with an unconventional way of expression and he has command over traditional and contemporary music. He is heading on the right path.”

Dhervi, Maseed’s teacher, also praised his conviction and talent.

"He has his own way of saying things, with confidence and changing voices," the maestro said. "His future will be bright because of his ecstasy and musicality."