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The
Pashtun singer grew up in Lower Dir, once a Taliban stronghold
of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where performing arts were
widely considered to be un-Islamic. She realized early on that
violence against female artists was common.
In 2018, five female singers were killed in the northwest and in
March this year, a popular Pashtun stage singer and actress was
shot and killed near Peshawar, allegedly by her husband.
But two years ago, Tajik's family moved from their ancestral
village to the state capital Peshawar where she managed to
convince her parents to allow her to sing.
"At first, there were a lot of objections, from family, as well
as people in our village. But now, with the passing of time, and
after seeing my videos and songs, things have become normal
again," Tajik told Reuters at her home.
She has released her songs over social media and said she
already had a fan following in Pashto-speaking areas of Pakistan
and neighboring Afghanistan. Her second song, "Halaka Charta
Ye", which means "Oh boy, where are you?", was a great hit.
"I was extremely happy because so many people were listening to
my songs and liked them. My passion for music increased further,
and I decided to make more and more songs and videos," she said.
Despite her success, Tajik says she often feels nervous about
security because the Taliban's influence in the region can still
be felt. During the 1996-2001 Taliban regime in Afghanistan,
music was considered the handiwork of the devil, particularly if
the artist was a woman.
Pakistan's port city of Karachi is home to an estimated 7
million Pashtuns, the largest urban Pashtun population in the
world, including 50,000 registered Afghan refugees. Even though
it's the other end of the country, Sana Tajik's music is known,
though not accepted by all.
"If this lady sang hymns and devotional songs, that would have
been better. It would have sent a good message to the Pashtun
people," said resident Iqbal Swati.
"Instead, she is wearing half-sleeved clothes while singing;
this is not at all nice. This is not our culture."
Tajik's music teacher, Safdar Ali Qalandri, said he often warns
her of the dangers ahead.
"One, she is a female. And secondly, this is Peshawar, where, as
you know, extreme 'purdah' (covering of women) is observed.
Taking up singing while living in this society is extremely
tough."
(Writing by Salahuddin, Yiming Woo and Sheree Sardar; Editing by
Nick Macfie and Michael Perry)
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