As Pakistan celebrates another year of independence later this week on August 14, here are three reasons why we shouldn’t lose hope in these strange and challenging times.
There are days when, as a citizen, of Pakistan, one is forced to ask oneself: what has happened to this country? What is happening to this country? And what will happen to it? Is it safe for our children and our children’s children?
These fears cannot be avoided. One might try to escape by watching everything but the news. You can follow Instagram without following any news, and its algorithm will, in time, ensure that your feed is filled with videos of dogs, cartoons, and music. But you still can’t avoid reality. A friend might mention something related to an honor killing. What makes it heartbreaking is that it was initiated by a brother or a father. It doesn’t stop there.
The woman who has been working in your house for several years will tell you that she sleeps without electricity. A 12-hour electricity outage is the norm, and she has learned to live with it in the dead heat of summer. The point is this: you cannot escape the reality of your own country. The political promises? Well, those are just semantics. Everyone is busy passing the buck.
How does one celebrate Independence Day in such an environment, when every day bring a new kind of horror or ones we have learned to live with because we have no choice?
This question has been bugging me for several days. But the answer is actually very simple: you celebrate by shining a light on those who have made this country proud in one way or another and made us happy in unexpected ways.
Pakistani music has been bringing joy to people for decades. Voices like Nayyara Noor, Noor Jehan, Farida Khanum, Iqbal Bano, Ahmed Rushdi, Habib Wali Mohammad, Mehdi Hasan, Naheed Akhtar, Pathanay Khan, Reshma, Tahira Syed, Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Zubaida Khanum were among the greatest artists in the field of music during their time. In fact, Pakistan has always been fortunate in the realm of music throughout its history.
Strictly focusing on the pop era and how it spread throughout South Asia, we must turn our attention to the eighties.
It was the late Nazia Hassan and her brother Zohaib Hassan who were the pioneers while still teenagers.
Their emergence paved the way for Vital Signs, followed by Junoon, and the rest, as they say, is history. Each decade brought its own unique flavor of artists. Some from past decades continue to be influential, but by and large, the music industry is experiencing a renaissance with a growing audience.
From folk to folk-fusion, rap, rock, pop, electronic, and electro-pop, we have singers and producers, but most importantly, we now have an industry that understands the power of collaboration.
Justin Bibis – Photo by Nadir Firoz Khan
Justin Bibis – Photo by Nadir Firoz Khan
It is also undeniable that Pakistani music gained global recognition due to Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.
What he initiated has continued, with artists like Atif Aslam, Ali Sethi, and Faris Shafi being just three of the many Pakistani names enjoying a following across South Asia. We now have a more prominent presence of women in pop music compared to previous decades. We need not limit ourselves to Nazia Hassan or Hadiqa Kiani.
There is an extensive catalogue of female singers, and while reducing artists to their gender is problematic, in this instance, it serves to highlight the progress made.
Fifteen years later, people in Pakistan and beyond continue to be captivated by Coke Studio.
In our long and complex history, Pakistani music has been a constant source of solace and joy, a steadfast friend that has never failed us.
