Sarood Player Quits Music Classes in Islamabad After Threats from Extremists
Asad Qazilbash, probably the only player in the country of the traditional music instrument, Sarood, had to quit giving the music coaching to the interested music enthusiasts after his 12 year old son was threatened by the extremists in the street where he lives.
Sarood master recently started delivering music classes at his home in a street at G-9/1, Islamabad.
“I got a small board painted with different musical instruments on it and displayed it outside my house located in Street 33 of Sector G-9/1. Earlier this month when I was out of the house, my son, playing in the street with his friends, was approached by a group of young men wearing ‘shalwar-kameez’ and turbans on their heads and asked him who lives in the house where a board about music classes was installed” told Qazilbash to The News
Asad ignored the threat and continued teaching the art to the interested students. Only after 2 days of the first threat, the group of young extremists threatened the 12 year old again.
After the second threat, Asad immediately stopped delivering the lessons for the safety of his children.
Asad said “I not only removed the board, but also stopped music classes for the time-being. But I am worried about the safety of my children because it is not possible for me to keep them in the house all the time. They have to go out and play with their friends. I am also afraid of going to the ‘markaz’, which they said is located in a plaza in Markaz G-11. It is even more disturbing that this is all happening so blatantly in the heart of the federal capital”
