PESHAWAR, Feb 11: Galaxy of local artists enthralled the music-starved citizens at a concert organised to mark the launching of two plays at the Peshawar Press Club on Sunday night.

Young singer Tariq Hussain Bacha remained stealer of the show, whose rendition of late Ghani Khan’s poetry aroused the nationalist sentiments among all present at the Zubair Mir Hall of the press club.

Though senior crooners, Nazia Iqbal, Sarfaraz Khan, Fazle Akbar Rahi, Zahid Tabassum, Zafar Iqbal and others sang famous Pashto numbers, but Tariq Hussain Bacha was pick of the event, for he was listened to by the otherwise rowdy audience with patience and silence.

Besides, professional singers, some armatures were also called on the stage and they rose to the occasion, because they sung most popular Pashto ghazals of Rehmat Shah Sail, Ajmal Khattak and Ghani Khan.

The occasion was unique in a sense that it happened to be the maiden musical event after the end of the MMA government, which had placed ban on musical activities in the province. Nazia Iqbal began with a soft song, but quickly gained steam and ended up with profuse clapping from the mostly young participants.

Though far lesser in number as one would have expected, the audience cheered every bit of the proceedings so tireless that it seemed a jam-packed crowed. Organisers deliberately kept the programme secret because they feared for safety despite the fact that the MMA had become story of the past.

On the occasion, director Tawab Sarhadi announced that he would produce two drama serials, Anjam (End) Meena Lewantob De (Love is Madness). Both the drama serials to be picturised in scenic places would revolve around the social problems intertwined with romance, he said. The services of acclaimed Pashto film director Nasim Khan had been obtained to make both the projects success.

Mr Sarhadi recalled that the stage performers had suffered a great deal during the five year rule of the MMA in the province. Closure of Nishtar Hall and bomb explosions at the CD and cassette shops had now become order of the day. President of Artistes Welfare Association Zoom, Tariq Jamal, said that singers, artistes and stage performers did a matchless task of sending laughter among the people despite remaining surrounded by volley of problems themselves. He said that the closure of Nishtar Hall had deprived the stage performers of the right to earn livelihoods. Most of them had either shifted to other cities or had quit the profession, he said.