PESHAWAR, April 12: The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has condemned the attack on the balakhanas (music offices) of the local artistes of the Dabgari garden on Saturday.
According to a press release issued here on Monday, the HRCP expressed concern over the attack by some local people on the artistes' offices and the ransacking and burning of their musical instruments, in an area where artistes have been practising their profession and living for the past 20 years.
The local people, in a drive against vulgarity, had broken the shutters of the offices of the artistes and burnt and destroyed all of their musical instruments on Saturday night.
This was the second such incident after the smashing of billboards by religious activists a few months earlier in a drive against obscenity. The HRCP spokesman said that every citizen had the right to adopt any profession remaining within the law.
Depriving someone of this right was against the international charter of human rights and the Constitution of Pakistan. He urged the provincial government to intervene in this serious matter.
The issue was going on between the local people and the artistes for some time but due to the apathy of the government it took such a serious turn last Saturday.
The HRCP demanded of the NWFP government to take action against those who had taken law in their own hands. "It is the duty of the state to safeguard the life and property of its citizens," the press release said.
ARTISTES: Performers and entertainers have condemned attacks on music centres by the residents of Dabgari and urged the provincial government to provide them protection, saying it was their legal and constitutional right.
Speaking at a press conference at here on Sunday evening, three veteran Pushto vocalists threatened to boycott PTV, radio and other government sponsored programmes if attack on musicians, which they said had started since the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal government took oath, did not stop.
A group of people from the Dabgari area, which was led by the nazim of the local union council, had vandalised several music centres in the area besides burning two of them down.
Members of the group, which smashed most of the instruments at centres run by various musicians, claimed they were protesting against what they termed the spread of vulgarity in the society.
Gulzar Alam, a classical Pushto singer said that withholding them from performing their profession was unjustified and unconstitutional. Flanked by legendary vocalist Khyal Mohammad and an upcoming singer Haroon Bacha, Mr Gulzar said that providing protection to the people was one of the foremost duties of the state.
Composer Sahib Gul said that the police played the role of a silent spectator when the unruly mob started destroying their musical instruments, adding that it was tantamount to indirectly encouraging the vandals.
He said that the mob had initially created panic by resorting to aerial firing in the Dabgari area before vandalising their places of business, adding that musicians sustained a loss amounting to more than Rs2 million.
He said that the MMA government should compensate for the damages sustained by musicians besides providing them adequate security. They also urged the government to take punitive action against the people responsible for the vandalism.
Sahib Gul alleged that the incident was provoked by a businessman in Dabgari area, who wanted to establish a commercial plaza on their land. A magistrate on Sunday sent 13 persons, including nazim of the local union council Iqbal to prison.