PESHAWAR: People from different walks of life including literary and cultural organisations have condemned a video made by a Quetta-based producer affiliated with a private Pashto TV.

Young Pashto singer Shah Sawar Khan had released his audio album a year ago in which he had sung a popular poem of late Ajmal Khattak.

Many years ago, senior singer Gulzar Alam too had sung the poem ‘Da loyo loyo qudratuno raba -- Ywa tamana da auredai shay kana’ (O! God of mighty powers, Could one wish call be listened) and received widespread popularity from the listeners.

A Pashto showbiz webpage has posted a condemnation notice in Pashto script demanding legal action the singer for dishonouring Ajmal Khattak’s poem and Pashtun culture at large. “If on one hand, the singer has desecrated the words of a great poet, on the other hand he has pained the soul of late Ajmal Baba. We condemn it in the strongest words,” the notice says.

Nizar Yousafzai a Dubai-based music lover remarked: “They have not only dishonoured Ajmal Baba and his poem but also proved a stigma on Pakhtun culture.”

Naveedullah Yousafzai, another lover of Pashto music, posted that he had heard the poem. “I don’t know what is wrong with it. Shah Sawar Khan has sung it a bit faster. Every singer has the right to choose a style for singing any piece of poetry. I rather appreciate him to sing other pieces of Ajmal Baba too,” he said.

Another post said that he was not the only one rather there was a strong mafia working for promoting vulgarity and violence in the name of Pakhtun culture since long. “It is time that social, literary and cultural organisations put their heads together and raise voice against those, who are bent upon tarnishing the image of Pakhtuns,” the post said.

Ihtisham Toru, the president of Cultural Journalists Forum, said that cultural and literary organisations time and again demanded of the provincial government to set up a censorship board to address such issues.

Because of non-existence of a cultural policy in the province, the so-called artists and singers were exploiting it and bring out CDs and telefilms not compatible with Pakhtun social norms and traditions, he said.

“I don’t think Shah Sawar could do it,” said Aimal Khan Khattak, a social worker and elder son of Ajmal Khattak. He said that he had heard the audio version but had not seen the video of his legendary father’s popular poem. “Young singers most often remix old version of songs so Shah Sawar Khan too has done the same. I don’t know what angered his fans. I have no objection to it, although I have not watched the video yet I am sure of its quality,” Mr Khattak maintained.

Young singer Shah Sawar Khan said that he had through a press conference apologised for singing out what people called indecent contents many months ago as it was his commercial compulsion.

“The anger unleashed on social media seems to be a maligning campaign against me. I have not made any video. I had released only a video album, the music arrangement of which was done by a famous music composer,” he added.

Published in Dawn, August 21st, 2014