Crime, financial woes frustrate artistes

An attack on famous Qawwal Sher Miandad Khan and the plight of dismissed contract employees of Radio Pakistan have highlighted the feeling of insecurity among artistes despite the attractions of show business.

Sher Miandad is a respected name in the art of qawwali and has represented Pakistan abroad. His nephew and well-known singer and musician Ali Badar Miandad Khan said that Sher Miandad and his son were shot and injured during a robbery bid near Faisalabad. He said Sher Miandad was shot in the chest and his son Obaid in the arm. The robbers snatched money from them and managed to flee from the scene. Sher Miandad was taken to Faisalabad Civil Hospital and after a surgery was shifted to Lahore, while his son returned home after treatment. Sher Miandad's condition is reported to be improving.

Ali Badar said Sher Miandad was returning from an event near Faisalabad when the robbers chased him and attacked him when he stopped on the way. Two armed robbers suddenly started firing and as a result one bullet hit Sher Miandad in the chest and one hit his son in the arm.

The robbers took a bag full of money from the car and fled. It is said that there were approximately Rs500,000 in the bag. “The incident has shocked our family. An artiste works day and night before he gets fame. But still a renowned artiste like Sher Miandad faced such an attack. We appeal to the government to take notice of the incident and provide security to our family,” said Ali Badar.

On the other hand, senior actor Rashid Mahmood said during a protest in front of the press club that workers of Radio Pakistan Lahore had been facing economic exploitation for the past four months and he would not work for the organisation. He said his colleageus, whom he had known for a long time, were protesting and he would not participate in any programme of the organsiation till the termination of contracts of its over 750 workers was withdrawn.

Dismissed employees of Radio Pakistan staged protests in Islamabad and Lahore, in which hundreds of people participated. The protesters said the annual budget of the organisation was of Rs7 billion but they had been dismissed on the pretext of shortage of funds. The government had promised jobs but left 749 families in economic turmoil, they lamented.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 3^rd, 2020.