Islamabad - A rap song written by the elder daughter of
Pakistan's slain former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, in which she
pours out her grief, is making waves on video sharing website YouTube
and in the international media, but hardly impresses at home.
'I Would Take the Pain Away' is the chorus Bakhtawar, 18, raps in
English - a language understood only by Pakistan's small elite class.
As world shares the novice rapper's sorrow, the majority of
Pakistanis are surprised by the teenager's atypical tribute to her
mother. For the vast rural population steeped in Islamic religion,
rap is something completely foreign.
'Anguish filled everyone's heart following Benazir's
assassination, but a rap song to commemorate the tragedy is something
unforeseen,' said Abdul Majeed, as he scooped gravy at a roadside
eatery in Islamabad. His reaction is probably typical for most
Pakistanis.
Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party (PPP) is said to have released
the song with an accompanying video to a newly-launched private
television channel on the eve of the first anniversary of her
assassination in a bomb-and-gun attack on December 27, 2007, at an
election rally in Rawalpindi.
Film footage and still images traces Bhutto's last days as
Bakhtawar tries to express her great loss and that of her siblings -
Bilawal, 20, and Aseefa, 14.
The song was later posted on the video-sharing website YouTube and
also repeatedly played on state-run Pakistan Television (PTV).
The fact that Bakhtawar's father, Bhutto's widower Asif Ali
Zardari, is now the country's president with the PPP leading a
coalition government aroused a controversy over the song's airtime on
PTV.
'Using the state media to air a personal tribute is utterly
disputable,' said Mohammad Farooq, a shopkeeper.
Still many believe the matter should not be adjudged in terms of
politics.
'These are sincere words coming from a mourning daughter, who lost
her parent to terrorism,' computer engineer Salman Ahmed said.
Bakhtawar used 'crazy courage' and 'epitome of benevolence' as
metaphors to recall Bhutto's return from eight years of self-exile to
contest the elections, termed the final phase of transition to
democracy by the then president, retired general Pervez Musharraf.
'My mother was murdered. I don't even comprehend. Was it worth
dying for? I'm walking through screened doors,' Bakthawar, a student
at Britain's Edinburgh University, laments.
'No comfort or ease. I'm begging you please, God bless the
deceased,' she sings.
The teenager's first music production, which has been viewed by
more than 50,000 people, attracted attention from international
media, with dozens of reviews appearing this week.
'While Bakhtawar's dirge-like rap is unlikely to secure her a
Grammy of her own, the seemingly heartfelt tribute might win her some
fans,' wrote British daily The Independent.
According to the newspaper, Bakhtawar is a keen music fan and was
apparently encouraged to sing by her mother. She once asked a
journalist friend in the US to introduce her to Grammy Award-winning
rapper and music producer Puff Daddy.
'The tribute is sweet. But this girl isn't street,' wrote a
blogger, commenting on the teenager's efforts.
Pakistan's Minister for Information Sherry Rehman, who remained
close to Bhutto until her death, said music was Bakhtawar's pastime
but not a prospective career.
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