Haroon Bacha

Haroon Bacha (Pashto: هارون باچا ) (born July 27, 1972) is a Pashtun musician who sings mostly in Pashto and, to a lesser extent, in Urdu.[1] Since starting his professional career in 1992, he has released upwards of 50 albums.[2]

Haroon Bacha
هارون باچا
Haroon Bacha performing at AVT Khyber's "Sparle Suroona" in Peshawar in 2017.
Born (1972-07-27) July 27, 1972
Panjpir, Swabi, Pakistan
NationalityPakistani & American
EducationMaster's degree in social work at University of Peshawar, 1994
Occupation
  • Singer
  • musician
  • composer
  • broadcaster
Years active1992–present
EmployerMashaal Radio
Musical career
OriginPeshawar, Pakistan
Genres
Instruments

Early life

Haroon Bacha was born on July 27, 1972 in Panjpir Swabi, Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.

He received his early education at Govt. High School Panjpir and followed with his matriculation from Govt. High School No.1 Peshawar. Bacha completed his F.Sc. and B.A. from Edwardes College in 1992, and took his master's degree in Social Work from the Department of Social Work, University of Peshawar.[3]

Bacha had a natural flair for singing, taking part in Naat Qirat and singing competitions throughout his early school days. Govt. High School No.1 provided further chances for young Haroon Bacha to exhibit his hidden talent, but it was the music club of Edwardes College that garnered him a real place in the world of Pashto music.

Career

Bacha's professional music career started in 1992 with a live television performance in Peshawar, Pakistan. His first album, "Da Rangoono Makhaam", was released in 1996, with "Ghunchakoona" being released shortly after. Since then, he has released more than 48 other albums along with one single, "Speena Kaotara", which was released in the United States in 2011. Some of his albums include: "Heele", "Ulas Janaan Kra" and "Darman".

Bacha's career came to a standstill in 2007 when he began receiving threatening text messages and phone calls from the Pakistani Taliban. The Taliban asked him to quit music and threatened to kill him and his family. These death threats lasted approximately one year until on 14 August 2008, Bacha fled his home and went to Brooklyn, New York, where he was granted political asylum.[4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15]

In 2009, Bacha became Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty's Mashaal Radio branch's first employee as a broadcaster.[16]

In July, 2012, he was transferred by RFE/RL from Washington D.C. to Prague, Czech Republic.

References
  1. Shinwari, Sher. "Haroon Bacha's Biography". last.fm. Last.fm. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
  2. Khan, Karan. "Haroon Bacha Life, Work and Career, Interview by Karan Khan". YouTube. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
  3. Shinwari, Sher. "Haroon Bacha". Khyber.org. Khyber Gateway. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
  4. Sisario, Ben. "U.S. Refuge for Singer Fleeing the Taliban". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
  5. Mashal, Mujib. "Taliban Silence Pakistani Musicians". The Wall Street Journal. Dow Jones & Company. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
  6. Shinwari, Sher. "Pashto singer mesmerises audience with his velvety voice". Dawn. Dawn. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
  7. "In the loop: 'I am a couplet of Ghani (Khan), I am Pakhtun'". Dawn. Dawn. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
  8. "Another prominent Pashto comedian set to quit showbiz". The News. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
  9. "Another artiste says goodbye to singing". The News. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
  10. "Entertainment industry of Frontier hangs in the balance". The News. The News International. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
  11. "Popular comedian quits showbiz". The News. The News International. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
  12. "Music Freedom Day: What does censorship sound like? Listen to Freemuse on Spotify". Freemuse. Freemuse. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
  13. Khan, Javed. "Taliban losing their 'war on music'" (PDF). Music Freedom Day. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
  14. "Music Is a Human Right: A Performance by Haroon Bacha". buhbOmp. WordPress. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
  15. Shinwari, Sher. "Pakistan: The undeclared ban on playing music lingers on". artsfreedom. WordPress. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
  16. Sohail, Khattak. "Pashto music: Bacha steps forward". The Express Tribune. The Express Tribune. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
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