‘Amann’, a Pushto anthem for APS tragedy

Artistes from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa come together to dedicate a song to those suffering from terrorism in the province.

The song was written by the famous Pashto poet Laiq Zada Laiq, who has been selected for the Presidential Award for Pride of Performance. PHOTOS: PUBLICITY

PESHAWAR:


Singers and artists from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa gathered together at Army Public School’s (APS) assembly hall to record a song dedicated to the victims of the APS tragedy.


The song titled Amann was written by the famous Pashto poet, Laiq Zada Laiq, who has recently been selected for the Presidential Award for Pride of Performance.

The song criticises the terrorists who were involved in the killings of innocent people of the province. “Amann is not only dedicated to the students of APS but in general as well, since the last several decades have seen hundreds of schools blown up in both the Federally Administrated Tribal Areas and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa,” said the poet.


Bakhtiar Khattak

“They are killing us constantly and we have yet to identify them,” said Laiq. “Now it is the time we Pashtuns come together and through common wisdom, identify who is killing our children,” he added.

The music was composed by Master Ali Haider, one of the leading composers of Pashto music whos is well-known both in Pakistan and Afghanistan. The song’s recording was done by Zaid Khan and its camera work was provided by Latoon Productions, a studio in Peshawar.

The lead singer, Bakhtiar Khattak, was accompanied by Laila Khan, Yamsa Noor, Laila Khan, Anum Pirzada and Fawad Khan, who is also the owner of Latoon Productions.


“We all have to struggle for peace,” said Khattak, while speaking to The Express Tribune. “This is just an effort on behalf of the artist community for durable harmony so our future generations are safe,” he added.


Laila Khan

APS was attacked on December 16 by the Taliban, who brutally killed more than 132 innocent children. “This is one of the most barbaric tragedies in history of humanity and it should be our on-going mission to identify those who are involved in the killings. The Pashtun generation has always suffered,” said Khattak.

Amann features six main singers and more than 10 TV artists. “This was a mission each artist has contributed to,” said Khattak.  “All these artists have voluntarily participated and have played a pivotal role in the successful completion of this mission,” he added. Government officials were also present during the performance at the school.

The singer added that their initiative to bring about amity had brought about a huge amount of support from people.

Khattak’s recently released song Da Bajour Gullona received a lot of appreciation by the local audience since it gave a positive image of the Pakhtun culture.

Fawad Khan, the owner of the Latoon studio who has also planned a documentary on the APS tragedy told The Express Tribune, “It is for the first time we have seen all artists asking what they can do to help in this regard. Everyone is voluntarily coming forward,” he said.



Published in The Express Tribune, January 26th,  2015.

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