KARACHI: To highlight the melodious history of Pakistani music, the Arts Council has organised the three-day Pakistan Music Festival, which will conclude on Sunday.

Before mentioning the names of the singers that entertained music lovers on Friday, one has to praise the musicians or instrumentalists, both seasoned and relatively young, who were on stage for the whole gig as vocalists sang popular songs. From the percussionists to those who played string instruments to the keyboardists, their effort was right out of the top drawer.

The show began with a youngster Hamid Mahmood’s rendition of the famous Aaj jaane ki zid na karo. For some reason, he tried to embellish his version with a lot of ornaments (harkatein) which one felt was unnecessary. His voice is such that if he had kept it simple, he’d have been better off.

Hamza Babar’s Khamaj also left a bit to be desired. It required more vocal oomph. Muhammad Shiraz Siddiqui’s attempt at Sona na chandi na koi mahal was fine. The audience seemed to like it.

Then came Kashia Kaif. She sang two songs: Mujhe dil se na bhulana and Roothay ho tum. These tracks sound easy to sing, but they’re not, because their power lies in lyrics ably complemented by melody. This means that singing them with feeling they evoke is of the utmost importance.

Shahzaib Ali is a known name in the Arts Council circle and he sings well. His two songs, tributes to Mehdi Hasan and Noor Jehan, were well received. However, he could have sung a half note higher because his voice at time was getting drowned out by the instruments.

Arguably, the most praiseworthy performance of the evening was given by Saghir Ahmed who sang Ranjish hi sahi and Main jis din bhula doon. His pitching was right and he seemed to be enjoying his stay on stage.

Published in Dawn, October 12th, 2025