But the Barabri Party Pakistan’s leader is artist Jawad Ahmed himself. Some parties automatically benefit from the presence of singers and musicians amongst their ranks. This is probably one reason that the PPP classic Dila Teer Bija, a jaunty song with ethnic Sindhi beats and Balochi lyrics, never seems to lose its charm - sometimes even amongst non-supporters of the party.Ĭuriously, the PTI and the PML-N have in recent times opted for more Pashtu and Punjabi songs, but fewer Sindhi and Balochi ones. Most of the lyrics are plain sloganeering. They just don’t invest as much as they would in a commercial song,” he says. Even the better artists tend to create mediocre songs. “On the whole, the lyrics are quite poor. “But the newer trend is that the parties are using a lot of music to attract younger people.”īut he does not think much of the lyrics. “Our political music has revolved around songs produced by bands such as Junoon as well as patriotic songs by Vital Signs and others - and these have been used for rallies too,” says Rehman, pointing out the use of Jazba Junoon. LUMS professor Taimur Rehman, a political worker for a leftist party and also a singer/guitarist for the band Laal, feels that political songs are now becoming all about appealing to a certain target market. Even the Jamaat-i-Islami came up with some songs Paracha points out that they called them taranas, or anthems, in a bid to appear serious. Subsequently, the PTI began using popular icon Attaullah Essakhelvi’s Bane Ga Naya Pakistan in almost all its rallies. Almost as a reply, the PML-N came up with Sher Aya the very next year. It lured in the younger generation with the Strings’ pop tune Main Tou Dekhoon Ga, penned by Anwar Maqsood. The song was sung in Punjabi by Bahwal Haq Shah.Ī turning point came in 2011 when the PTI hired a DJ for music at its rally. Soon after the removal of Musharraf, the party followed up with Mera Mulk Bachao, Hun Tey Wardi Lai Gai Ay. It was only after 1993, when the post-Zia democratic system began to wear out thanks to political tussles between the PPP, the PML-N and the ‘establishment’, that the trend of producing political campaign songs also witnessed a dip.īy the late ’90s, when the PML-N emerged victorious once again, it had its own political song. Paracha says that by the 1993 elections, the PPP and MQM had recorded dozens of songs, even released them in the market. The famous PPP Dila Teer Bija, recorded in a small Lyari studio, and the MQM anthem Mazloomon Ka Saathi, were at campaign forefronts. The song has a soft melody, Butt’s musical trademark, it seems, and an accompanying video showing Khan at various rallies.īetween 19, according to journalist Nadeem Farooq Paracha, the concept of using campaign songs was limited to Karachi. This year’s PTI song is Farhan Saeed Butt’s Ab Sirf Imran Khan, which has also recently been a popular Twitter hashtag. With popular names including Abrar-ul-Haq and Attaullah Khan Essakhelvi, PTI has no problems in producing songs. Yet the situation is odd since the vocalist has also sung the official 2018 song for the PML-N.īut then, even in the 2013 elections, first the PTI honoured Fateh Ali for their song Chalo, Chalo Imran Kay Saath, but he also went on to sing Tum Sey Apna Ye Wada Hai for the PML-N. In his soaring voice, Fateh Ali addresses the youth to rise. One website welcoming the free downloading of all PTI songs includes a ‘gift’ from Rahat Fateh Ali for the 2018 elections. But, after all, no election is ever complete without a party having its own original political anthem.
Making political copies of famous songs is quite a habit. The anthem uses the name ‘Jabran’ as part of the lyrics. In a separate case, a Lahore-based candidate from the MMA, Jabran Butt, has sent a legal notice to a PTI candidate from Okara with the same first name - Jabran Bhopal - for allegedly using his song for political campaigning.
The song playing is a re-hash of a well-known Coke Studio hit, Alif Allah Chambay Di Booti, the standard lyrics replaced by new ones praising the PTI and Imran Khan. Most noticeable, though, is the atmosphere of celebration fostered by music. Its gates are open as political workers busily move in and out, swelling with importance. RED and green banners and posters adorn the walls of one of PTI’s main offices.
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