Adil Najam
Gen. Pervez Musharraf may or may not be the one leader who did the most good (or bad) for Pakistan. But he may well be the one who sings the best.
This video of a musical duet with Ustad Hamid Ali Khan recently aired on TV channel Duniya and has been doing the rounds over email, and originally recorded at a private gathering, has probably been seen by many of you already. I am no great expert on these things, but personally I think he did a good job of singing (certainly better than I or most people I know can). I would give him even higher score for good humor and confidence for doing so in public. And I must say that I really like his taste in music for the song he chose to sing along on.
Of course, none of this changes my views on Gen. Musharraf’s politics. I am quite capable – as I hope our readers are – of making those distinctions. But, yes, he may well be the best signer amongst those use have ruled Pakistan (I recall Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto singing along with singers too, but probably not this seriously, nor this well).
In fairness, I have never heard Mr. Zardari or any of the prior leaders singing, so any comparison is premature. Not withstanding my own views on Gen. Musharraf’s politics, the idea of a leader who can appreciate music – and good music – is an endearing one.
Postscript: I must say I have fretted since yesterday on whether to put this up or not. In a time when all of our sensitivities are hyper-sharp, when everything is or is seen to be a deep political conspiracy with layers of ulterior meanings and motives, when everyone lives forever on the edge, where everything is extreme black or extreme white, where even the most innocuous of statements is deemed to be layered with profundity, and where every opportunity – no matter how inappropriate – is used to score the smallest and cheapest of political points … in that mileu one fears that this post too will become victim of disections undeserving. I hope it does not.
May I please request our readers that if you wish to comment on politics – for or against the General – you will find plenty of places on this blog to do so. And we promise to provide you even more appropriate posts to do that on very soon. For now, please focus on that which this post is about: music. If nothing else, enjoy the song. I am confident, it will calm your nerves.
As a long time reader of this blog and knowing your general views on military governments I am impressed by the fairness and courtesy with which you have written this post. I guess this is what makes this website special and so different from other naara baaz types out there. This sense of common decency and fairplay.
On the singing, I also really like his choice in music and his good spirit in joining in. Takes a lot of confidence to do that.
Some comments from the ATP Facebook Page:
– “haha bad voice”
– “vry bad voice… =PP”
– “wah wah……. kia zehriili awaz ha shakal or iski harkatoon ki trh……..”
– “i havent seen more desperate but BE SURA singer in my life like MUSHARRAF ….you can be a Commando but not necessarily a good singer as well ….but as he claims his father used to play Harmonium & he used to play TABLA …i think he should have tried his luck there !..singing not something he is simply capable of!”
– “Ofcourse, he is not a singer so he cannot have a great voice like professionals!!! Whatever ppl say, I love Pervez Musharaf…He’s the BEST!!!”
– “Whats so wrong about General Musharraf singing??.. i mean, come on… he’s human like us too.. he has all the rights to enjoy his personal life.. what’s there to feel so flabbergasted about!?!”
– “I dunno why ppl say such stuff abt him…He has been a great leader for pakistan!!!…believe it or not but its true!!!”
– “singing is not his job if u take it in good humour thn its good neways ..but he done his job very well n the progress the country got in his reign was tremendous..”
– “I appreciate a sense of humor in a leader.”
– “fnx”
– “wah kia zehrili awaz hai…”
– “Is this really worthwhile NEWS? Proves he is human like the rest of us!”
– “nothing new… going on n on since mughal era.”
– “i am not a support to any politician infect left politics from my Uni life…and im agree with all of you Musharaf was bad and did nothing for pakistan… but look to others politicians too… none of them did some thing which can remained in our minds… all of them are worst than one another.. and no one is there to understand the problems of a common man… Even Zardari is the same either… God bless pakistan but none of path seems to be showing a destiny elsewhere…”
– “when will be the day when Pakistanis will; rise above personal Biases, emotions, hatred and unfounded allegations and look at a situation from country’s perspective.”
Not sure he is singing that well but I give him full credit for being a good sport about it. And, yes, great selection of the song.
He’s pretty good. I am impressed. This probably is the enlightened (remember, “enlightened moderation”?) part of his personality. Among the pak politicians, Shahbaz Sharif also sings very well. Remember his rendering of Habib Jalib in in a public gathering?
I hear, NS is also fond of singing. In his earlier incarnation he was reported to croon over the phone to some of his female friends in Lahore.
yes, he is singing well.
Bhutto also used to get up on the stage and start singing just like Musharraf did. That was part of both’s popularity. People could relate with that as something they would also do.
nice video.