Dozens Of Afghan Artists Seek Refuge In Pakistan

 

Dozens of Afghan artists have turned to Pakistan since the Taliban took over Afghanistan.

Fearful of the Taliban, the artists have arrived in various parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Since the establishment of the Taliban government in Afghanistan, dozens of Afghan artists have left their homeland and moved to different cities in Pakistan.  More than 50 Afghan families have so far arrived in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.  The majority of artists have settled in various cities in the province after reaching Pakistan via the Torkham border crossing.  Almost all of these artists are reluctant to reveal their identities out of fear.

Some of these artists belong to Afghanistan's state radio.  A large number of singers have also arrived in Pakistan for asylum.  One such Afghan musician who arrived in Peshawar told DW Urdu on condition of anonymity, "I learned music in Peshawar.  Then, when the Taliban regime in Afghanistan came to an end and a new government was formed with the cooperation of the United States and its allies, we returned to Afghanistan with the intention that our government would support us and help us advance our art.  But that did not happen at all.  The majority of television and radio artists continue to run their homes by attending private parties. ”

He added that the Taliban had not yet directly threatened any artist, but he also remembered the former Taliban era.  He feared that the Taliban would harass the artists again.  "We felt our lives and the lives of our families were in danger, so what is the direction of Pakistan?"

When the Afghan Taliban came to power in the 1990s, they banned music.  The ban lasted until the arrival of foreign forces.  During the Taliban regime, most Afghan artisans migrated to Europe and other countries.

Another Afghan artist, who took refuge with his relatives on the outskirts of Board Bazaar in Peshawar, told DW Urdu:  With the Taliban in power again, most artists fear that as they become more stable, music will be banned again.  At the same time, difficulties for artists will increase.  "These are the concerns that are causing most artists to leave the country and move their families to safer places."

The Taliban recently announced that they would "persuade singers to stop singing".  And it was only after this announcement that the artists sensed danger and began trying to leave the country.

A large number of Pashto-speaking artists have turned to the Pakistani province of Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, but even there they are disappointed.  Due to the Corona epidemic, music programs are not being held in these parts of Pakistan these days.  Until recently, many local artists from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa went to Afghanistan to perform.