Haroon Bacha

THE COST OF KEEPING SONG ALIVE

Music through exile

1. 1990s

   Early recordings

   Dawn traces his rise to the album Da Rungoono Makham. Bacha recalls in a Pashto interview that his first published album was ghazal, followed by tappay. First-person Pashto interview ↗

2. 2008

   Threats and departure

   In testimony published by Freemuse, Bacha recalled threats demanding that he give up singing or perform for militants. He said he refused and left for the United States as the threats escalated. Freemuse report, p. 16 ↗

3. 2012

   Darman

   The release of Darman marked his return to album-making after a reported four-year hiatus. Express Tribune interview ↗

4. 2016

   A Peshawar tribute

   At an evening in his honour, poet Faiz Ali Faiz praised his ability to connect classical and contemporary music. Karan Khan also spoke about Bacha’s experiments with Pashto song. Dawn event coverage ↗

SHAYARI IN SONG

How he chooses a poem

Bacha describes reading work by established and younger poets, choosing verses suited to a musical setting and seeking permission before composing. Shaheed Ghezal shows that process in the credits: Ehsanullah Darmal wrote the poetry and Bacha is credited for voice and composition. Official track credits ↗

In the same Pashto interview, he described co-founding the Pashto Music Institute with fellow artists and discussed online teaching as a way to sustain the tradition. Read the interview ↗

FROM SWABI TO BROADCASTING

The arts programme

Bacha is from Punjpir, Swabi. Dawn reports that he attended Edwardes College and earned a master’s in social work at the University of Peshawar in 1994. Its coverage of Sta Da Laas Piala names Mumtaz Orakzai, Khaliq Ziar and Maiwand Fida among the poets on the album. The same article names a musician as “Yammi Khan” in Bacha’s wider recording ensemble. 2019 album interview ↗

Radio Mashaal lists Bacha as a journalist and host of an arts programme featuring conversations with artists about their lives and work. Radio Mashaal profile ↗

One of those conversations was with Yamee Khan. The June 2024 programme gives Yamee room to discuss recording, regional instruments and the shift to digital production. Listen to Haroon interview Yamee ↗

EDUCATION & ADVOCACY

Pashto Music Institute

The institute identifies Bacha as its president. In 2025, he presented its research in Istanbul on the effects of music restrictions and social stigma on Afghan musicians. His advocacy there built on the same concern he raised in interviews about keeping musical knowledge available to the next generation. Institute conference record ↗

His artist channel publishes both older recordings and newer ghazals. Haroon Bacha on YouTube ↗