Sahir Ali Bagga accuses Rahat Fateh Ali Khan of not giving him due credit for 'Zaroori Tha'

Musician penned a lengthy post on Facebook

KARACHI:

Sahir Ali Bagga recently took to Facebook to express his sentiments regarding the credit for the hit song Zaroori Tha. In his post, Bagga highlighted his role as a composer and emphasised the importance of recognising the contributions of creators in the music industry.

Bagga began by acknowledging the talent of Rahat Fateh Ali Khan. He expressed pride in his ability to work hard for the talent of his country and his efforts to promote Pakistani talent on a global scale. "The desire of a star-maker is not just money, I am also a composer and I am proud that my Allah has given me the ability to work hard for the talent of my country, and there is no doubt that Rahat Fateh Ali Khan is the best talent of Pakistan," shared the musician.

He continued to assert, "I have always tried to make the talent of our Pakistan recognised all over the world, and in helping this initiative, Yousuf Salahuddin Sahab helped me in the form of heritage of the Virsa, and many stars have also been made. I created a song, titled Zaroori Tha. This is a song which I myself did not know that I would create this song and it would become a historical song of the Pakistani music industry."

The composer described the song as a historical milestone in the Pakistani music industry. Bagga revealed that the song has garnered mass acclaim and staggering numbers, cementing its status as a top-ranking Pakistani music content. However, he expressed disappointment over not receiving proper recognition for his contribution to the song's success.

"Today this song is at the top in terms of Pakistani music, industry, and content, it’s very close to two billion views on YouTube in one play, and if my right is only to be given as a creator, which only the hero of this project Rahat Fateh Ali Khan can give, and for some reason he is not giving it, then he should explain to Rahat Fateh Ali Khan why he is not giving me the credit for this achievement?" said Bagga.

Stressing the importance of honesty and transparency in the industry, stating that he would not hesitate to call out anyone who attempts to withhold credit from rightful creators, Bagga appealed for recognition. "And if I have lied hypocritically to anyone, then I have called every person a hypocrite who wants to hide the truth and is trying to take someone’s right. Allah has blessed Rahat Fateh Ali Khan with good abilities, he should give me my right as a human being," he conclusively stated.

https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10220577623990038&id=1817207692&mibextid=WC7FNe&rdid=CbgiikX90OPIogSw

When approached by The Express Tribune, Bagga sent the same text as the post on Facebook. Additionally, he shared a video of Rahat Fateh Ali Khan from Talks at Google, wherein Khan was discussing how the song was picked up. The O Re Piya crooner was joined by Salman from his management team. Salman labelled Zaroori Tha, upon listening, the "song of the album."

Khan elaborated, "In 2014, we launched the album. Obviously, we must have been making it since 2013. I sang this song in 2012. And I sang it somewhere, it was completely like raw material, just kept there. We were preparing music for the album, played one or two tracks. Salman bhai was with me, he said he wanted that particular song. I said no, this song has been given to someone else. I can't give it. He said we'll take it, and then we properly carried it. I said it's a slow-tempo song. It's sad, and the lyrics direct one towards good. He really liked the track."

When asked to elaborate upon why he shared the video, Bagga said it was "proof". When queried about what prompted him to make the post, he replied, "I had been telling Rahat and his managers for 10 years to add my name to the YouTube description, and Rahat and his team did not add it. I tolerated it for 10 years and now I could not tolerate it anymore. So I posted on my social network that I have been treated hypocritically."

Talking specifically about evidence, he said, "You can see the YouTube description where my name is not mentioned, and I want Express Tribune to share this video where they are discussing the details of my song without mentioning my name." The video he shared has been referenced and discussed above. Conclusively, Bagga said, "This song was released in 2014 and it is now 2024. Despite my repeated requests, my rights were not given to me, so I posted what I felt was right on my social network." The Express Tribune has reached out to Khan's team via the number available on the singer's official Instagram and was refused a comment at this point in time.

Have something to add? Share it in the comments