101 East

Pakistan: Music Under Siege

Despite facing death threats and censorship, can Pakistan’s musicians mend an already crippled industry?

In Pakistan, making music can have deadly consequences.
For religious hardliners, secular music is seen as un-Islamic and they have silenced musicians’ voices.
Some have been killed while others have fled the country. Those left behind face constant fear, death threats and poverty.
It is a far cry from the golden era of the 1960s where tunes of all genres offered Pakistanis relief from military repression and political uncertainty. But now, some younger musicians are fighting to reclaim their stage.
101 East asks, can Pakistan’s artists mend an already crippled industry?