MUSIC: Pakistani Authorities Come Down on Pop Stars

By Farhan Haq Reprint | | Print |

ISLAMABAD, Jan 27 1998 (IPS) - Cartoonists in Pakistan generally feature the prominant baldness of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, and his politically-dominant brother and father, so perhaps it is no surprise Sharif recently said of pop musicians, “I’d like to cut their hair.”

But what is surprising to many Pakistani youths is how quickly the prime minister, whose conservative Pakistan Muslim League holds a sweeping majority in the National Assembly, made good on his threat.

Not that the raven-locked singers of rock-based groups like Vital Signs or Awaz have suddenly become clean-cut. Instead, pop musicians, who until recently were mainstays of Pakistan’s state- owned PTV television network and the popular ‘FM 100’ radio, have simply disappeared.

Deprived of their visibility on Pakistan’s public radio and television, heartthrobs like Sajjad Ali (whose hit ‘Babia’ is a remake of similarly-banned Algerian rai singer Khaled’s ‘Didi’) and Awaz’s Harun Rashid are now only seen on Indian satellite channels – accessible only to those wealthy Pakistanis with satellite dishes.

Since last November, Pakistani culture has begun to return to the officially-sponsored Islamic programming favoured during the 1977-88 dictatorship of Gen. Zia ul-Haq, who banned rock music – along with Western clothing and unveiled women – from being seen on state media outright.

Predictably, some Pakistanis grown used to the liberalisation of culture during the recent administrations of Sharif and predecessor Benazir Bhutto are disheartened. “The government should do something about the economy and law and order, and not waste time pushing around pop singers,” says Ali, a young computer programmer, echoing a typical sentiment.

The musicians themselves have characterised the tiff as a cynical political ploy. Politicians find it easier to pick out scapegoats than to solve problems, Sajjad Ali told local media.

However, a few groups have been more sympathetic. One member of Junoon – which is as noted for its conservative, pro-military lyrics and occasional Islamic themes as its guitar-based rock – recently visited the Islamist-dominated Punjabi town of Raiwind and subsequently talked about wanting to bring out Pakistani values and themes in Junoon’s music.

Indeed, pop stars have been in the eye of the storm for years when it comes to the debate pitting ‘Western’ values (like blue jeans, long hair and rock) against their ‘Islamic’ counterparts (like ‘shalwar kameez’ clothing and the classical ‘ghazal’ song form).

The Islamists at Raiwind – who enjoy the support of Nawaz Sharif’s octogenarian father, Main Sharif, known simply as ‘Abbaji’ (‘Dear Father’) – have long fumed that Western images are becoming too prevalent in Pakistani media.

Abbaji is reported to have encouraged Nawaz to stifle the pop musicians, and is also believed to have played a role in selecting Pakistan’s new, conservative Islamist president, Rafique Tarar (dubbed ‘The Holy Tarar’ by wags).

The vendetta against pop was actually launched before last year’s elections, won by Sharif, by a losing politician – famed former cricketer Imran Khan, whose failed campaign hurled broadsides at ‘brown sahibs’ who aped the West, spoke English rather than Urdu, and wore jeans rather than shalwar kameez.

Unfortunately for the budding politician’s hopes, Khan’s own playboy past caught up with him during the elections, especially when an alleged former lover, U.S. citizen Sita White, accused the cricketer of fathering her child. The ‘Pakistani values’ campaign thus subsided for several months, until Nawaz Sharif picked up the gauntlet.

How far the campaign will go is another question entirely. Information Minister Mushahid Hussain denies that there have been any efforts to censor musicians from the airwaves, although rock stars are conspicuously absent. But one Muslim Leaguer, speaking on condition of anonymity, is not sanguine: “When these fellows (in government) start to focus on insignificant issues like musicians’ clothes, you know they’re out of ideas.”