MUSIC UNDER SEIGE - 101 East

PAKISTAN: MUSIC UNDER SEIGE from Steve Chao on Vimeo.
Pakistan is a country with a rich vibrant history of diverse musical talent. But since the heyday of the 1960s, a strain of religious militancy has stifled musicians, with many being murdered or attacked for singing. We follow musicians as they struggle to reclaim the stage and regain the vibrancy of music that once existed.

Published on Oct 22, 2015

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’s a far cry from the golden era of the ‘60s 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?