PESHAWAR: Popular Pashto folk singer Nazia Iqbal in her recent video message on social media told her fans that she along with her family members had settled permanently in London, United Kingdom as her husband, an Afghan citizen, had been denied Pakistani nationality by the authorities.

Hailing from Swat’s Guldara town, Nazia Iqbal’s family had shifted to Peshawar during early 90s. After learning basics of Pashto music from her father late Iqbal, she started her singing career from music in Nishtar Hall in 1996.

She has over 250 hit Pashto albums to her credit and has mastery over several genres of music.

Rights activists, cultural organisations and her fans showed displeasure over the decision of Nazia Iqbal’s leaving, arguing that staying on foreign land would eclipse her fame and would also harm Pashto folk music to a great extent.

Nazia Iqbal pledges to continue contributing to music

Shaz Rahim, a rights activist, said that the authorities concerned had turned a deaf ear to the domestic worries of the singer that forced her to say farewell to her homeland.

Earlier, in an interview with a foreign TV channel, Ms Iqbal said that denial of Pakistani citizenship by authorities had become the main reason of her settlement in UK as her Afghan husband Javed Fiza had sought political asylum two years ago over there and it was not possible for her to stay in Pakistan with her children alone.

“Life had become hard for me because my husband being an Afghan national had to go through visa formalities after some time due which I decided to say adieu to my homeland forever but I pledge to continue contributing to Pashto music. Pakistani officials did not grant Pakistani nationality to my life partner that forced me to make UK as my permanent abode,” said the folk singer.

Laiqzada Laiq, former director of Radio Pakistan, told this scribe that he had introduced Nazia Iqbal on radio in 1998 in her teens and she made quick progress due to her inborn qualities. He termed her decision being unwise at a time when she was at the peak of her music career and also enjoyed widespread respect.

“Nazia Iqbal’s leaving country is a great setback for Pashto music. I strongly believe those, who leave their own country and people, remain unable to maintain their fame and even lose touch with their art. She could be billed as the topmost folk singer of Pashto. She would probably retract her decision,” he said.

Rashid Khan, noted folk singer and chief of Hunari Tolana organisation, while expressing his views said that Nazia Iqbal was a multitalented singer, who could render light ghazal, classical and folk songs with great ease and her departure would leave a vacuum.

“We cannot challenge her personal decision but at least can say that it would definitely register a negative impact on the upcoming female singers,” he said.

Laiqzada Laiq said that Ms Iqbal’s contribution to Pashto, Persian and Urdu music was huge and such artists should not leave her home fans. He said that she had recorded his last ghazal ‘Zindagi Grana Da’ (Life is difficult) before saying adieu to the country almost two weeks ago.

Published in Dawn, July 28th, 2019