It was a bright sunny day this month when tribesmen gathered around a group of musicians and singers on the bank of the Indus to be soothed by the folk music played in an open place after almost nine years.

The traditional sitting occurred for the first time since 2009 when a local jirga influenced by the Taliban militants issued a decree banning the playing of musical instruments and singing in Torghar.

“I am completely mesmerised by this folk music, while being warmed by the sun on the riverbed recalling days when such events were a regular feature of life in this town,”Mohammad Zahid said.

Torghar, which had gained the status of a settled district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in 2011 through a presidential order, had remained a bastion of militants since they began an insurgency in the neighbouring Malakand division.

The Taliban militants used Torghar as a passage to cross over into Hazara division and return after successfully accomplishing their subversive activities.

“Now, there prevails a complete peace and calm and the life is almost normal. However, the environment here still misses soothing music,” he said.

Mr Zahid said nobody could believe that the wedding, harvesting and birth ceremonies for which music had been a must since centuries were currently held without musical performances.

“Some two years ago when a folksinger took out the traditional instrument of rabab, the sympathisers of militants not only smashed it to warn others but also declared through loudspeakers that playing and listening to music was against Islami injunctions.

Musicians and singers perform in the region for first time after 2009 when a jirga influenced by militants had issued a ecree banning all sorts of music

Folksinger Zartaj, who performed at the music gala held on the Indus, also received threats from the sympathisers of militants but he remained committed to the cause of music.

“Would you believe this musical event organised by locals continued almost over four hours attracting a large crowd, mostly youths, who stayed put all the time,” he said.

The folksinger said though music was not his bread and butter, he was much worried about the environment in which music was no more charm to it.

“I am a Pashto lyricist and am a peace advocate and even then, I face numerous challenges to me and my family in this highly hidebound society,” he said.

Mr Zartaj said music had a major part of cultural and Hujra life in the region since centuries.

“Since the jirga imposed a ban on music, nobody dared come forward and speak against the violation of the freedom of speech,” he said.

Over 200 families of musicians and singers used to live in Torghar to perform on marriage and other events but they left the region for other parts of the country, mostly Karachi, to earn a livelihood.

“I am the only breadwinner of my family and used to earn a livelihood through music but when this charm of life vanished, I migrated to Karachi,” Bukht Taj, a tabla player, told this correspondent over the telephone from the port city.

Mr Taj said he earned a handsome amount of money for his family every month but was worried for hundreds of musician and singers, who left Torghar for other parts of the country for livelihood.

“We used to sing and play instruments on wedding, harvesting and birth ceremonies and even in hujra, but this centuries old tradition and culture is no more part of our society,” he said.

The tabla player also complained that there were no employment opportunities for their community in the government departments leaving them with only one option to migrate to other parts of country to earn a livelihood.

He said the ban on music deprived the society at large of its cultural heritage.

The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf-led district government claims it has been striving for the revival of folk music in Torghar but enormous challenges continue to be there.

“I have been working on a comprehensive plan for the revival of traditional music and culture and bring back all those musicians and singer families, who left for other parts of country,” district nazim Dilroz Khan said.

He said a piece of land was being acquired in Jubbah area, the central headquarters of Torghar, to establish a colony for such musician and singers.

“We will allot residential plots to all such families in the proposed colony, who will put up houses on them by themselves,” he said.

The nazim said the district government had organised a cultural event in 2013, which attracted a large crowd but got strong criticism from those with the Taliban mindset.

“Would you believe if we need a musician or singer for performance at wedding parties or other ceremonies, we don’t find one in the area,” he said.

The nazim said he also met the heads of levies and police forces and asked them to induct singers and musicians against vacancies.

“We have a rich culture and music and will never allow a handful people to take it away from us,” he said.

The nazim said the district government would soon finalise programmes and events to preserve centuries old traditions for the generations to come.

Published in Dawn, January 6th, 2019