Slain Pashto singer Ghazala Javed's niece takes up singing

Slain Pashto singer Ghazala Javed’s 14-year-old niece Muskan Fayaz has eyes set on career in music

MINGORA: Pashto singer Ghazala Javed’s voice may have been silenced by her former husband at the age of 24 in 2012, but there’s nothing stopping her niece who too has decided to walk the career path her slain aunt chose.

After exchanging only a few words with her, one can easily gauge Muskan Fayaz’s passion for music. The 14-year-old resident of Mingora, Swat is committed to making a name for herself, exactly the way Javed did.

“I looked up to my khala and I used to listen to all her songs,” Muskan tells The Express Tribune. While she is still quite young, her words and line of thought nowhere reflect her age. As she was growing up, Muskan saw the rise of Javed as one of the most popular and highest paid Pashto artists. When she expressed her desire to follow in Javed’s footsteps, no one disagreed. “Her death changed me completely. That day I decided to take up singing as a profession and carry her legacy forward,” she says confidently.



Not a day goes by when Muskan does not listen to her aunt’s tracks on her mobile phone. “She is my role model. She made our entire family famous. I too will do the same.” As with most powerless Pakistanis who are wronged, Muskan too does not have much to say about her aunt’s murder. “What can I say … Life and death are in the hands of God,” she maintains.

While she does fancy film and folk music, Muskan, personally, is a fan of ghazals. “I listen to a lot of ghazals. I think ghazal singing has its own charm,” she says.

This doesn’t mean she does not follow the sort of music children of her age do. “I am a huge Atif Aslam fan and I also follow Bollywood music,” she adds, quickly mentioning that Saif Ali Khan is her favourite actor.

The seventh-grader is a bright student who wants to get college education before venturing into the industry full-time. Everyday, when she is done with homework and lending a hand to household chores, Muskan draws her harmonium from the cupboard and initiates her practice. She believes command over playing the instrument is rather instrumental. “You cannot become a good singer until you practice hard, singing to the notes of the harmonium,” she says, adding that a three-hour session is part of her daily routine. “I also want to be known as a skillful musician,” she maintains.



Most of the valley’s singers and dancers reside in the Banr neighbourhood. Muskan’s family, on the other hand, has had its humble residence in Malookabad for the last 30 years. Karachi-based guitar virtuoso Faraz Anwar once said in Pakistan drummers turn into guitarists and guitarists are at times forced to quit music altogether because either their own family members or the neighbours cannot tolerate the loud and constant playing of music. This, however, does not apply to Muskan. “My parents are very supportive and we are on excellent terms with people living next to us. So many of my schoolmates live in the neighbourhood,” she says.

The girl’s father Fayaz Ahmad takes pride in his daughter’s career objectives. “She always took a lot of interest in music and also has a knack for it,” he says. Ahmad says he noticed his daughter’s inclination towards the art form seven years ago. “I am trying my best to support her in her endeavours. I am sure she will make it big one day.”

Published in The Express Tribune, July 28^th, 2016.

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