KARACHI: It was thoughtful of the authorities in Sindh to come up with the Marka-i-Haq Independence Day celebrations — a series of colourful events — almost a week before Aug 14, Pakistan’s 78th birthday. They mainly constituted of two types of programmes: musical shows and mushairas.

Vocalist Rahat Fateh Ali Khan performed on multiple occasions. He appeared at a concert at Sindh Governor House, did a gig in Hyderabad and then was also among the group of artists [Sajjad Ali, Atif Aslam, Hadiqa Kiani, Kaifi Khalil, Tufail Sanjrani and Khumaryan] who performed at the National Stadium in Karachi on Aug 13, the grand finale, organised by the Sindh government in collaboration with the Arts Council.

Ali Zafar did two concerts, one in Hyderabad and the other at Sindh Governor House. Similarly, Atif Aslam made a couple of appearances — as a solo artist at Governor House and at the National Stadium. All these shows attracted huge crowds and the artists performed very well. The series was a success.

That being said, when a large number of people — a vast of majority of which are young boys and girls — turn up for a concert, the organisers need to be extra watchful. Reportedly, the Ali Zafar gig at Hyderabad was trouble-free and the audience enjoyed it to the hilt. Rahat Fateh Ali Khan’s concert at Sindh Governor House also went well. But Khan’s performance, along with ace singer Sanam Marvi, in Hyderabad was marred by disturbance caused by some rowdy elements in the crowd, videos of which were widely circulated afterwards.

Series of events concludes with grand finale at National Stadium

Atif Aslam’s show at Governor House, too, had a 20-minute disruption because the singer noticed uncalled-for scenes at the venue when he was singing Jal Pari. The most unsavoury incident highlighted on social media happened in Sukkur when Sanam Marvi was not allowed to sing by officials of the Arts Council because she had arrived late for performance. The statement that Marvi gave in that connection caused concern in many quarters. The artists booked for the Sukkur leg of celebrations, among others, were Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Havi, Young Stunners and Asim Azhar. Thankfully, the last event at the National Stadium was held in a peaceful and fun atmosphere.

A rather less advertised musical function on Aug 13 at a local mall had popular singer Hasan Jahangir as the main attraction. He entertained the listeners present at the mall with a number of songs, including Pyara Pakistan mila and Shahwa we nakhra gori da. He was preceded by a young girl, Kainat John. She impressed many with her lovely voice and heartfelt singing of patriotic songs, including Watan ki mitti.

Two major mushairas were arranged during the week — at Sindh Governor House and Expo Centre. The latter was held by the Sindh government in cooperation with Chanesar Town. They were pretty successful in terms of audience participation. But some Karachi poets complained about the hosts at Expo Centre that they were not served food or given honorarium (which apparently will be given later in the week) despite the mushaira stretching late into the night.

Published in Dawn, August 15th, 2025