PESHAWAR, Jan 10: Musicians and instrumentalists are facing hunger following a ban on musical concerts by the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal’s government in the NWFP.

The singers, instrumentalists and other artistes feel that the government decision would hit them hard as they were totally dependent on their performance at the music concerts.

“For the last two months, there has been no musical concert, because the people hesitate to invite us for programmes at their marriages due to fear of police,” said an artiste at Dabgari Gardens. According to him, most of their colleagues were weighing options of shifting either to Lahore or Karachi along with their families.

A local singer said he had not performed for the last two moths, owing to ban imposed by the MMA government. He said there were some 200 people who were attached with the profession only in Peshawar city and their number in the province was in thousands.

The show business people say that there had been always a cultural drought because of the clout enjoyed by the clergy. On the other hand, there are dhole wala (drum beaters) who performs at small functions. This has been a tradition that the people invite the drum beaters whenever there is a festivity.

“For the past two months, we have not been invited to any programme, mainly owing to the hard stance adopted by the MMA’s government towards music,” said Jamal, who said he earned hardly Rs 500 a week. According to him, they had nothing to do, because he had already attained the age of 55 years and there was no chance left with him to begin some other career.

Similarly, a singer said he was performing in the city from the last 20 years. There was no vulgarity in the music, because he said he sang the ghazal of sufi saints like Rehman Baba and Khushal Khan Khattak. He said the bus drivers and hoteliers were playing music and the cassettes were being sold like hot cakes, but the government’s ban on music had only affected the people who were dependent for their profession.

“Already, a lot of people of show business, who belonged to the NWFP, have settled in Lahore, because of the working environment there. The recent government step would force the remaining singers, musicians and instrumentalists to leave their province,” said a singer, who had sang more than 1,000 songs on radio and television. The ban has been imposed at a time when young and educated people were turning towards the profession, said a music director. He said he had planned to establish a music academy for the aspirants, but his plans could not be materialized in the presence of the MMA’s government.

Another music singer said the government should not ban the music altogether, because the people have become used to listening to it over the years. The right thing to do is to keep vigil on their performance and take action against those found indulged in some unethical and un-Islamic practices. He said the most of the women dance or sing on the occasion of marriage ceremonies at their homes. Music has been traditionally ingrained in the mind of the people who cannot forego it at once, he added.