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Pappu Saieen refrained from playing dhol
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* Ichhra SHO says drummer barred from playing even on road over locals’ complaints
* Pappu denies allegation of drug use
By Afnan Khan 
LAHORE: The Auqaf Department and local police have barred internationally renowned dhol player Pappu Saieen from performing even on the road outside the Shah Jamal shrine accusing him of spreading drug trafficking in the area, and citing the general security situation.
Pappu was previously expelled from the shrine’s courtyard, where he had been performing for decades. The administration had said that drug use had increased in the area, and attributed it to the mystical dhol performances, which attracted young people and drug pushers. Ichhra Police Station House Officer (SHO) Mustanir Ahmad Khan told Daily Times the police had not arrested Pappu, and had only barred him from playing the drum after receiving complaints from local residents that drug use had increased in the vicinity, and there was a possibility of terror attacks at shrines. The SHO said allowing Pappu to even play on the road was a bad idea, as it not only halted the flow of traffic and created problems for the residents, but posed a major security threat with a large number of people crowding around him. He said the Police Department, in collaboration with the Auqaf Department, had also deployed female officials to search the women visiting the shrine.
Pappu Saieen is a world famous drum player, who has been performed throughout the Muslim world. He even introduced the dhol to developed countries like Britain, Switzerland and Germany, and is also a drum teacher to a number of Western music students. Pappu’s fan club exists all over the world, especially in Pakistan, where people belonging to all social classes, including foreigners, visit the shrine every Thursday to enjoy his mystic performance. He calls his drum the “qalandri dhol”, or the mystic drum. Pappu has also played with the key music bands of the country. He has also been awarded a number of awards, including the Sitara-e-Imtiaz. The consumption of drugs by visitors has been an ‘open secret’, but the authoritites never took action. Even when Pappu was forced out of the shrine’s courtyard onto the road outside, his fans thronged the place every Thursday.
Denied: Pappu told Daily Times that he was simply a mystic performer doing the duty assigned to him by his ancestors, and had nothing to do with the business of drugs. His disciple Bhambeeri Saieen said the ban would not only break the hearts of mystic music lovers, but would also be a blow to folk music.
Daily Times: Saturday, July 11, 2009
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