Laal: (Don’t) Express yourself

Singer Taimur Rahman talks about the informal ban placed on the video of their latest single “Jhoot Ka Uncha Sar”,

LAHORE:

“Is the Army beyond criticism? Is it a sacred cow?” is what Laal’s lead vocalist Taimur Rahman was forced to ask after many channels refused to play the music video for the band’s song “Jhoot Ka Uncha Sar”, due to its anti-Army content.

Following an appearance on a local television channel, Rahman publicly announced that he had learnt from media insiders that an informal ban had been placed on the video of their latest single “Jhoot Ka Uncha Sar”, which has gained popularity on the internet due its social relevance and tongue-in-cheek lyrics written by revolutionary poet Habib Jalib.

Rahman, also an academic — a politics professor — revealed that the video has been given for circulation to several major music channels yet it was not receiving any airtime. The video, which uses Jalib and Brechtian ideologies to show layered hypocrisy in society, also portrays female characters playing the role of men — bringing to life the satire found in Jalib’s poetry. Laal has also used editorial cartoons from several mainstream newspapers in the video.

“It was not just the Army that we criticised. We criticised all layers of society, ranging from religious extremism, democracy and American imperialism,” said Rahman, who admits to being nervous regarding the quality of the song which may have been below optimal. “Three weeks ago I sent a DVD with the new music video to major music channels and usually it ends up making rounds on the channels regularly, but this time, there was absolutely no response. At first, I thought maybe it was because of the cross-dressing or the suboptimal production of the video.”

However, he then discovered that most channels refused to play the video due to its anti-Army content. “I was taken aback, so I asked around and the policy was the same across all channels,” said Rahman.

The singer added that this censorship trend dates back to Ziaul Haq’s era where music was frowned upon as anti-Islamic. In the past, bands like Junoon have also faced widespread wrath for releasing politically conscious music — for instance “Ehtesaab” which was banned by PTV. “However, since then, the attitude towards politically-charged music has changed — albeit in a piecemeal way — as in those days, the government would just officially ban you from a channel and try to force you to shut down. These days, the ban is unwritten,” said Rahman.

Adnan Rehmat, the Executive Director  of Intermedia,  a registered not-for-profit organisation working for journalists’ capacity building and strengthening freedom of information, who has been monitoring Pakistan media for several years, explained that although Article 19 of the 1973 Constitution guarantees freedom of expression, it also has provisions that state “the freedom is subject to any reasonable restrictions imposed by law in the interest of the glory of the armed forces and Islam”.  He also highlighted that the Constitution was formulated taking into account the multi-ethnic/religious make-up of the country. “At the time of formulation of the Constitution, music was part of the Pakistani culture, hence there was a need to have things like satire for the greater good of society,” stated Rehmat.

“According to the Constitution, when you criticise the Army, you are equivalent to being a traitor, which I think is ridiculous because the Constitution should not be used to guarantee limited freedom,” said Rehmat.

Several media insiders confirmed that channels tried to refrain from satire revolving around the armed forces due to the inherent restrictions in the Pakistan electronic media regulatory authority (Pemra).

One producer, who wished to remain anonymous, explained that the repercussions usually meant that the channels are warned against airing certain content and if they do not comply, severe action could be taken by higher regulatory bodies. “There is a saying that men in khaki cannot be hit, it’s just not possible,” said the producer.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 10^th,  2011.