Singers fear Pakistani pop music dying

Terrorism, ban on events after 10pm among reasons for downfall

LAHORE:

Pop music is usually identified with the West, but Pakistan's leading singers and musicians have also created a unique place for themselves in the field all over the world.

A few years ago, a lot of music concerts were held in the country, but now they have become a dream, pop singer Ali Haider said while lamenting the situation.

He said the concerts were held in Lahore, Karachi, Islamabad and other cities, he said. Pakistani music concerts used to be different as not only young pop singers but also many of the country's most accomplished singers and composers performed and people from all over the world, including India, waited to catch a glimpse of them.

“Either it is our bad luck or because of the government's inattention that music concerts are not held anywhere in the country now,” he said while talking to The Express Tribune. On one hand, there were incidents of terrorism and on the other hand, the ban on events after 10pm is the reason for the downfall, as per the singer.

In this regard, Haider said, “When the era of music concerts began to gain momentum in Pakistan, we were all surprised.” “Then many multinational companies also paid attention to this sector and brought them up to international standards,” said the singer. He maintained that Pakistani singers and composers preferred to work in their own country and reduced their foreign tours during the period.

“Having one or two music concerts a week was normal, as the number was growing and this trend was growing rapidly,” he said. “Besides, some event organisers, seeing this trend growing, invited foreign singers and musicians to perform in the country, and they too were surprised by the response from the public,” Haider added. But in the current situation, it does not seem possible to hold music concerts, said the pop star.

Speaking about the current situation, the singer said, “Coronavirus was spread throughout the world in 2020 but in our country, music concerts have not been held for the last several years.” He said many pop stars have left the country and prefer to work abroad due to which the class that used to go to music concerts is disappointed.

Leading event organiser and singer Dr Sohail Hashmi said music concerts are now a dream. “When private schools, colleges and universities shut down, no one would have guessed how many people would lose their jobs,” he said. “In the past, music events were held all over the country and even the government used to hold concerts to mark important festivals, but now that trend has dwindled,” he added.

Talking about the government’s role, Hashmi said, “The government gives attention to other sectors and if it starts paying a little attention to Pakistani music, this sector will flouruish.” He said those associated with the music industry has always entertained people with their talents and will continue to do so. “We just need the government’s support for the music of Pakistan to prosper,” he said.