KHYBER: With “threat level” almost vanished and people keen to explore different sources of entertainment, Khyber tribal district has hosted scores of musical events in the recent months.

Most of such gatherings are held in Landi Kotal tehsil by tribesmen of different ages.

They attracted men in large numbers with some lasting three to four days. Lavish food was also served to participants.

Haji Zareen Shinwari, who recently organised a three-day event of entertainment in Landi Kotal, told Dawn that the main purpose of the event was to promote local culture and music along with creating an environment of mutual harmony.

Organisers say quality food, night stay also provided to participants

He said the local people, especially tribal youth, were becoming more and more aware of the importance of such events as tribal regions were offering them little opportunities of recreation and entertainment.

With a powerful business community and groups of young social activists behind him, the Shinwari businessman had openly challenged the authority of local clerics and asked them to focus on their “responsibility of eliminating social evils from the society instead of obstructing healthy events of entertainment direly needed for the cultural growth of local youth.”

He said that alongside performances by different musical bands, participants of such events were provided with quality food and night stay as hospitality was an integral part of the local culture.

Aziz Rehman, a ghazal singer and a ‘guru’ for most of the local immature singers in Landi Kotal, told Dawn that the rise in the number of music programmes came due to an improvement in the law and order situation as they faced no threat from anyone.

He said a large number of music lovers, mostly young, participate in such events and they remain very peaceful as well till the end of the event with most young people preferring to dance to the tunes of fast music instead of listening to ghazals and semi classical music.

“People are just looking for opportunities to arrange such gatherings, be it a wedding ceremony, an engagement ceremony or just an ordinary gathering of friends”, he said and added that the majority of such events were organised at picnic spots instead of private homes.

Aziz Rehman said he was threatened by local affiliates of the Taliban in the past but the threat had largely diminished, while he, too, was emboldened to participate in most of the musical events in recent months.

Heading a group of around 25 immature music performers, he said his group had performed in ‘countless’ musical events during the last two Eid festivals as a large number of the local population was on vacation for Eid holidays.

Nasir Malagori, a young tabla player, said Eid days were very ‘lucrative’ for him and his group as they performed in a number of events during the festival besides wedding and engagement ceremonies in Landi Kotal and Jamrud areas.

He said his group had never asked people for advance payment but still received both respect and money after every performance.

“Though most of these events are organised at nighttime, we face no threat or danger while returning home very late as the situation has improved a lot much to our satisfaction,” he said.

Amin Gul, a singer-cum-tabla player from Jamrud, was happy at the improvement in law and order situation and an increase in musical events.

He said he was more interested in performing in Landi Kotal due to the pleasant weather and very friendly and joyful audience.

“People are now more receptive to good music and pay handsomely,” he said.

The local Taliban affiliates and some clerics had banned such events in the recent past forcing local artists to either abandon their profession or leave the region.

“Local people desperately want such opportunities of entertainment and amusement, and they were hit hard by the years of obscurantist approach of anti-social elements,” social activist Mian Sajid told Dawn.

He said that there were few sources of entertainment in the militancy affected tribal areas with most of the local people unable to venture out of their areas to tourist resorts and thus they preferred to participate in local concerts.

Published in Dawn, July 16th, 2023