ROCKISTAN HISTORY OF THE MOST TURBULENT MUSIC GENRE IN PAKISTAN ROCKISTAN HISTORY OF THE MOST TURBULENT MUSIC GENRE IN PAKISTAN TAYYAB KHALIL COVER DESIGNED BY ANUM AMEER Copyright © 2021 by Tayyab Khalil All rights reserved This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review ISBN: 978-969-23555-0-6 (Hard cover) ISBN: 978-969-23555-1-3 (E-book) Daastan Publications Floor # 1, Workspace 2, Office # 3, National Incubation Center, Islamabad Phone: +92-3219525753 Email:
[email protected] www.daastan.com CONTENTS Preface 8 1. Only a Music Concert 11 2. A Game of Chance 20 3. Emergence of the Vital Empire 29 4. An Unholy Alliance 74 5. The Double-edged Sword 115 6. Underground Reverberations 169 7. Unveiling the Partition 236 8. Rock Renaissance 257 9. The Unconventional Path 315 10. Political Upheaval 344 11. Dimes, Crimes and Hard Times 368 12. Tragedy to Triumph 433 Acknowledgements 459 8 PREFACE The road travelled by Pakistani rock musicians is beset with challenges such as staunch criticism, struggling to have a socially acceptable image, having the door slammed in the face by record label owners and lowball offers by concert organizers. Not only are their careers mentally grueling and physically demanding but they also have an added risk of high investment and low returns. The rock genre has struggled to achieve its righteous place in the country whereas folk, qawalli, pop, bhangra and Bollywood music experienced skyrocketing popularity.