Strings talk politics after singing

Strings talk politics after singing
‘Main Tou Dekhoon Ga’ at the dharna

Shahzeb Shaikh
Karachi

It is indeed the time for pop musicians to stand up and be counted and it seems that Imran Khan is the perfect magnet for them. He always has been for stars. He has been acknowledged as the man  who introduced Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan to Peter Gabriel and come on, he got Aamir Khan to fly down and raise funds for Shaukat Khanum Cancer Hospital. Aamir remains the most prolific Bollywood star to have visited this country to date. 

Earlier this week we had mentioned how the PTI dharna, spearheaded by Imran Khan, was well-received by throngs of patriotic people and celebrities such as musician Ali Azmat. All these individuals had showed up for the cause of Pakistan. And, on the last day, more Pakistani celebrities joined the public. They were Faisal Kapadia and Bilal Maqsood of Strings. The band has always been an ambassador of Pakistan worldwide and keen to address critical social and political issues through their music. One was struck with amazement to witness them show up at the dharna unannounced. Instep Today inquired after their reason of showing up.

“Imran Khan wanted us to sing ‘Mein Tou Dekhoonga’. We did not take part in the dharna, we were there just to sing to the crowd. But if our being there meant that we support the cause? Then yes, we do. We have worked with Imran Khan previously -  fundraisers for his cancer hospital. He seems to be one of the few genuine politicians left in our country,” Bilal Maqsood told Instep Today. So, are they politically inclined? Bilal is quick to respond in a witty tone, “You have to be deaf, dumb and blind not to be politically inclined these days. We try hard not to be.”

The dharna was in response to the intrusions the US makes into Pakistani territory through drones. The limit reached its zenith through the recent Abbottabad operation. So what’s Strings’ take on that? “It was a slap on our face. Whether Osama was there or not there, dead or still alive, doesn’t make any difference. The point is that someone could come right up to Islamabad, carry out the operation without our knowledge and go back. And to add insult to injury, our Prime Minister termed the US operation a “great victory”. It just leaves us feeling extremely vulnerable,” replies Bilal in a disappointed tone.

So what’s their take on the drone attacks? “We all know that it’s a double game that we are playing. This breach of our sovereignty is with our consent. The kill ratio of these drones is 20 militants to 750 civilians. This is intolerable. They should be stopped immediately,” says the band. But our government is acting as silent spectator. What, in their opinion, should the government’s response be? “We should realize the power of our strategic positioning. We have China on our side, once we mend our ties with India, we’ll be in a commanding position. But of course, the West doesn’t want this to happen. Our government should take a stand and protect our lives or resign and let someone take charge who has the courage to do this,” Faisal joins in the conversation.

According to the band, some measures for the betterment of the situation include, “Resolve the Kashmir issue (both sides). Make it an industrial state and a tax-free zone for the next 25 years for both Pakistan and India. It will not only make Kashmiris happy, but it will also make this region economically very strong. Once Kashmir is out of the way it will be easier to resolve all the other issues with India, which includes signing a No-Nuke deal with Delhi. China, we are cool with. So no big issues there. Then, we should concentrate only on coal mining. I don’t know why we are just sitting on one of the world’s biggest coal reserves? Now when there is no threat from India we can easily cut down on our defense budget and put it on education. We should try and increase it from 2 per cent to 20 per cent. Once this is done we can ask ex-pats to invest in their country. That’s another reservoir of funds and goodwill which we haven’t tapped. The list can go on but at least this is what we have to do first if we want to say no to foreign aid, because only then we can take a stand against drone attacks.”

Strings performed their recent socio-politically themed tune ‘Main Tou Dekhoonga’ which fits the present scenario, in front of enthusiastic attendees. The response to ‘Main Tou Dekhoon Ga’ has been pretty overwhelming with many terming it as the new ‘unofficial’ national anthem for Pakistan.

Strings excitedly describe the experience of performing it in the following words, “It was great. We could feel the connection. After every verse there was thunderous applause as if they were agreeing to what we were saying. It’s everyone’s song and it was obvious that they owned it that night.”

When asked whether dharnas like these would cause any kind of change or not, Bilal replied, “I don’t know. I guess it is just about awareness.”

Finally, I asked the band what they think a musician’s responsibility towards his country is. The reply was rather blunt. The band said, “Zero. What is the responsibility of a chartered accountant? Or a mountaineer? We all are just supposed to do our work with utmost dedication, passion, honesty and making sure that the sanctity of our profession is maintained. There is no such heavy responsibility on our shoulders. But as patriotic Pakistanis we can steer our work in a direction which may help Pakistan in some way or the other. That’s our personal choice. You can’t blame a musician who is making great music but not doing anything for Pakistan. But we as patriotic Pakistanis make sure that we make that conscious effort. We realize the importance of the platform this land has given us and we want to use it in the right direction.”