PESHAWAR: Pashto musicians have called upon Islamabad and Kabul to consider waiving travelling documents for artists and singers both in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

They said that artists in Peshawar could not attend musical concerts in different cities of Afghanistan owing to visa restrictions. They said that Pashto music would suffer owing to visa restrictions and unfavourable conditions.

The music experts said that it would harm not only people-to-people contact but would also affect Pashto music industry. For many Pashto singers and artists, Kabul was the biggest market but strict visa regime proved a setback as they could not make a free movement across the Durand Line. According to reports, private TV channels in both countries had cancelled their music shows owing to non-availability of artists.

It is pertinent to mention here that a large number of Afghan musicians had returned to Afghanistan soon after Pakistan announced forceful expulsion of the Afghan refugees living in KP and Fata without any legal documents. Few artists suggested a special entry card for frequent music performers.

Similarly Pakistani authorities didn’t allow music performers in Afghanistan to cross Durand Line without legal travelling documents and they also could not attend musical concerts in parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Fata.

Singers say performers should be given free entry as art knows no boundaries

Mazar Gul, an Afghan refugee living in Nowshera, told this scribe that he had invited Barylai Samadi, an Afghan singer, to perform at a musical concert on the occasion of wedding ceremony of his two sons. He regretted that he hired local musicians because Barylai Samadi and his group were stopped at Torkham Gate for not carrying documents.

Mr Gul requested Pakistani officials to ease visa rules for Afghan artists so that they could perform and entertain Afghan refugees living in Pakistan.

Senior Pashto singer Gulzar Alam said that there should be no restriction on the movement of artists and singers. He said that multiple visa regime should be introduced if it was inevitable for the officials.

He said that Kabul and Peshawar had served as second homes for Pakhtun artists and writers. “The strict visa regime will harm artists and art. It will strain further mutual ties. We need to exploit art and music for brining permanent peace and cementing relations among people on both sides of Torkham border,” said Mr Alam.

Karan Khan, a Pashto singer, said that he had been invited recently to perform at a musical concert in Jalalabad but he and his colleagues were not permitted to cross Torkham border owing to visa restrictions. He said that artists, being ambassadors of peace, should be given free entry as art knew no boundaries.

Sarfaraz, another singer, said that his fans in Khost province of Afghanistan invited him and pledged even an air ticket to perform at a wedding ceremony but he declined the offer because of the strained relations between Islamabad and Kabul.

He said that artists in Peshawar were reluctant to participate in music events in Afghanistan.

Sarfaraz said that some popular artists enjoying widespread fame in both countries should be issued special documents and protocol cards as passing through visa formalities would force them to say goodbye to their performing activities across the border for good.

Published in Dawn, April 29th, 2017