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Pakistan Studies/From the hypnotic rhythms of qawwali and the poetry of the ghazal to television drama, radio broadcasting and global streaming platforms, Pakistan’s music and media reflect a society constantly renewing its cultural voice.
Pakistan possesses one of South Asia’s richest and most varied cultural landscapes. Its music carries the memories of ancient settlements, royal courts, Sufi shrines, agricultural communities and mountain societies, while its media tells the evolving story of a modern nation through radio, television, cinema, newspapers and digital platforms. Together, music and media create an extensive cultural network through which Pakistanis express faith, identity, regional pride, social experience and hopes for the future.
The country’s cultural life cannot be understood through a single language or artistic tradition. Urdu provides a widely shared national medium, but Punjabi, Sindhi, Pashto, Balochi, Saraiki, Brahui, Balti, Shina and many other languages contribute their own poetry, melodies and storytelling traditions. A devotional song performed at a shrine in Sindh, a rubab melody from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a television drama produced in Karachi and an independent digital track created in Lahore may appear very different, yet all belong to the same interconnected cultural world.
Pakistan’s music and media therefore exist between continuity and change. Traditional artists preserve techniques inherited across generations, while young creators experiment with electronic production, hip-hop, animation, podcasts and short-form video. State institutions, commercial networks and independent platforms all participate in shaping how the country sees itself and how it is understood internationally.
Music in the territories of modern Pakistan developed through centuries of interaction among South Asian, Persian, Central Asian and Islamic cultural traditions. Classical music is rooted largely in the raga-based Hindustani tradition, in which melody is organized around carefully developed tonal frameworks and rhythm is structured through repeating cycles known as tala. Rather than simply reproducing a fixed composition, a skilled performer gradually reveals the emotional possibilities of a raga through interpretation and improvisation.
This tradition has historically been preserved through musical lineages known as gharanas. Teachers pass compositions, vocal techniques and aesthetic principles to their students through intensive personal training. Classical concerts may feature the human voice accompanied by instruments such as the harmonium, tabla, sarangi, sitar or tanpura. The atmosphere is often intimate, with listeners responding to subtle changes in melody and rhythm rather than waiting only for a dramatic conclusion.
Pakistan’s classical heritage has influenced many other forms, including film music, television compositions, patriotic songs and popular ballads. Even contemporary singers who work with electronic or Western instruments frequently draw on classical vocal ornamentation, poetic phrasing and melodic structures. This continuity allows modern Pakistani music to sound current without becoming detached from its historical foundations.
Institutions such as the National Institute of Folk and Traditional Heritage, commonly known as Lok Virsa, document regional traditions through research, recordings, publications and cultural programs. UNESCO’s reporting on Pakistan’s intangible cultural heritage similarly identifies qawwali, Sufi music and folk song among the traditional forms that require continued documentation and transmission. (Lok Virsa)
Among Pakistan’s most internationally recognizable musical traditions is qawwali, a form of Sufi devotional performance built around poetry, repetition, rhythm and emotional intensity. A traditional ensemble usually includes one or more lead singers, a supporting chorus, harmoniums and hand percussion. Rhythmic clapping establishes a collective pulse as the lead vocalist moves between composed verses, improvised passages and exchanges with the chorus.
Qawwali often begins slowly, allowing the poetry and melody to establish a reflective atmosphere. The tempo and intensity then increase, sometimes developing into a powerful musical climax. The language may be Urdu, Punjabi, Persian, Braj, Saraiki or another literary tradition, while the poetry explores divine love, spiritual separation, humility and the search for union with the Creator.
Historically associated with Sufi shrines and devotional gatherings, qawwali has also become a major concert and recording tradition. Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan played an especially important role in bringing its vocal power to global audiences. His performances at international festivals and collaborations with musicians from other traditions helped introduce qawwali to listeners far beyond South Asia while retaining its distinctive spiritual and poetic character. (卫报)
Pakistan’s broader Sufi musical culture also includes the kafi, a poetic form particularly associated with Punjab and Sindh. Kafi performance places strong emphasis on the individual voice and the verses of Sufi poets. Celebrated performers have transformed this meditative tradition into a powerful expression of personal devotion. The music may sound simpler than a large qawwali ensemble, yet its repetition and concentrated emotional force can produce an equally profound experience.
The ghazal occupies a special place between literature and music. It is a poetic form composed of self-contained couplets connected through meter, rhyme and emotional atmosphere. Its language is often refined and suggestive, allowing earthly love, loss, memory and spiritual longing to exist within the same verse.
When performed musically, a ghazal depends on clarity of pronunciation and sensitivity to poetry. The singer must give each word enough space to be understood while using melody to deepen its meaning. The accompaniment is generally restrained, allowing the text to remain central. Pakistani performers such as Mehdi Hassan, Farida Khanum, Iqbal Bano and Ghulam Ali helped make the ghazal an admired concert, radio and recording tradition across South Asia.
The enduring appeal of the ghazal reveals the close relationship between Pakistani musical culture and Urdu poetry. Audiences do not listen only for melody; they also appreciate metaphor, language and literary memory. A familiar couplet can connect listeners across generations, particularly when interpreted by a singer capable of balancing technical control with emotional restraint.
Pakistan’s folk music reflects the diversity of its geography. Agricultural plains, river valleys, deserts, coastal settlements and mountain communities have all produced distinctive sounds. These traditions accompany weddings, harvests, seasonal gatherings, storytelling, religious observances and ordinary social life.
Punjabi music is often associated with energetic rhythm, the sound of the dhol and songs celebrating love, work and village life. Sindhi music draws deeply from Sufi poetry and commonly uses instruments associated with desert and river communities. Pashtun performance traditions are closely linked with the rubab, a plucked string instrument whose resonant tone accompanies poetry and communal gatherings. Balochi music has its own narrative and instrumental traditions, while the northern regions preserve songs shaped by mountain landscapes, local languages and historical connections with Central Asia.
Folk music is not static. Melodies travel between villages and cities, instruments appear in modern studios, and traditional singers collaborate with producers working in rock, pop and electronic styles. This movement helps preserve local traditions by placing them in new contexts, although it also creates a need for careful documentation so that the communities and musicians behind the original forms remain visible.
A notable example of heritage preservation is the boreendo, or bhorindo, an ancient clay folk instrument associated with Sindh. In 2025, UNESCO placed its melodies, knowledge and craftsmanship on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding, drawing international attention to both the instrument’s cultural value and the importance of transmitting its skills to younger generations. (无形文化遗产 )
During the late twentieth century, Pakistan developed a lively popular-music scene shaped by radio, television, cassette culture and expanding urban youth audiences. Pop singers and rock bands introduced electronic keyboards, electric guitars, drum kits and modern studio techniques while continuing to draw inspiration from Urdu poetry and regional melody.
Artists associated with Pakistani pop and rock demonstrated that contemporary music could be modern, cosmopolitan and recognizably local. Songs about hope, romance and national identity became part of everyday life, heard on television programs, in shops, at university events and during long road journeys. Music videos also became increasingly important, bringing together fashion, visual storytelling and performance.
The rise of digital platforms later removed many of the limitations of conventional broadcasting. Independent artists could release tracks without depending entirely on major record labels or television networks. Bedrooms and small studios became production spaces, while online audiences discovered hip-hop, electronic music, indie rock and regional-language songs alongside established genres.
Coke Studio Pakistan became one of the most visible expressions of this musical exchange. Its performances brought classical, folk and Sufi artists together with contemporary singers, instrumentalists and producers. The platform’s official description emphasizes Pakistan’s diversity of languages, genres and cultural experience, while its international popularity has helped Pakistani music reach audiences unfamiliar with the country’s traditional forms. (Coca-Cola)
The global success of songs such as “Pasoori” demonstrated how a Pakistani production could move rapidly across linguistic and national boundaries through video platforms and social sharing. Its blend of traditional melodic ideas with contemporary rhythm illustrated the growing confidence of a generation that treats heritage not as a museum object, but as creative material for new work. (The New Yorker)
Radio has played a foundational role in Pakistan’s media history. At the moment of independence in August 1947, broadcasting helped announce the birth of the new country and provided a shared voice to communities separated by great distances. Radio Pakistan began with stations in Lahore, Peshawar and Dhaka and later expanded into a nationwide public broadcasting network. It was reorganized as the Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation in 1972. (巴基斯坦电台)
For decades, radio connected listeners with news, drama, poetry, educational programming, sports commentary and music. It was particularly valuable in rural areas where printed publications or television reception were less accessible. Regional-language broadcasting also gave local performers, writers and storytellers an opportunity to reach wider audiences.
Radio studios became important cultural institutions. Many respected singers first gained public recognition through broadcast auditions and live performances. Dramatic productions trained generations of writers, actors and sound technicians, while literary programs created an audio archive of poetry and intellectual discussion.
Although television and digital media have changed listening habits, radio continues to serve travelers, rural communities and audiences interested in news, current affairs, religious programming and regional culture. FM stations introduced a faster, more informal style centered on music, traffic information and conversation, while online streaming now allows traditional broadcasting to travel through smartphones.
Pakistan Television began broadcasting in 1964, marking a decisive change in the country’s cultural life. Early transmission was in black and white, with color broadcasting introduced in the 1970s. Television soon became a shared household experience, combining news, music, children’s programs, educational content and drama. (谷歌艺术与文化)
Pakistani television drama developed a particularly strong reputation for literary writing, carefully observed characters and stories centered on family and social life. Classic productions explored generational change, education, class, urbanization and personal responsibility without losing their entertainment value. Writers, directors and performers learned to communicate complex themes through dialogue and domestic settings that viewers immediately recognized.
Music remained central to television. Variety programs introduced singers to national audiences, while title songs and original soundtracks became closely associated with popular dramas. A successful television song could continue circulating long after the series itself had ended.
The expansion of private electronic media in the early twenty-first century transformed the broadcasting environment. New entertainment, news, sports and regional-language channels created greater competition and a much larger demand for presenters, actors, musicians, technicians and production companies. PEMRA’s regulatory framework describes diversity and plurality as important goals for electronic media, while its published reports document the continuing development of the sector. (PEMRA)
Pakistani cinema has long connected music with visual storytelling. Songs can express emotions that characters cannot state directly, carry a story across time or transform a film into a wider cultural event. Playback singers, composers, lyricists and orchestras therefore became as important to the experience of cinema as actors and directors.
The industry has moved through periods of expansion, difficulty and renewal. Contemporary productions increasingly combine theatrical release with television licensing and digital distribution. Modern films draw on comedy, romance, history, animation and social drama, while their soundtracks blend orchestral composition with pop, folk and electronic production.
The relationship between cinema and television is highly fluid. Actors, writers, musicians and directors frequently work across both fields, and streaming platforms have further reduced the boundaries between film, serial drama and online content. Pakistan’s national film and broadcasting policy has recognized entertainment media as part of the country’s cultural economy and as a means of presenting national creative work to international audiences. (moib.gov.pk)
Long before television became widespread, newspapers helped shape public discussion in Pakistan. The print tradition includes major Urdu and English publications as well as newspapers and magazines in Sindhi, Pashto and other regional languages.
Urdu journalism reaches a broad national readership and often uses direct, accessible language. English-language journalism has traditionally played a significant role in business, policy, education and international communication. Regional publications, meanwhile, preserve local vocabulary and offer coverage closely connected to provincial and community concerns.
This multilingual character is essential to Pakistan’s media identity. Urdu serves as the national language, while English remains important in administration, higher education and professional life. Regional languages connect media to local history, oral tradition and everyday experience. Research on Pakistan’s linguistic environment emphasizes this continuing relationship between Urdu, English and the country’s many community languages. (PMC)
Pakistan’s media environment is now being reshaped by smartphones, broadband and social platforms. The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority reported that the country had surpassed 200 million telecom subscriptions and 150 million broadband connections during the 2024–25 reporting period, with telecom coverage extending to more than 92 percent of the population. These figures help explain why digital platforms have become central to news, entertainment, music discovery and everyday communication. (pta.gov.pk)
Viewers no longer need to organize their day around a fixed broadcasting schedule. Television clips, music videos, interviews and drama episodes can be watched on demand. Podcasts and video channels allow journalists, educators, comedians and cultural commentators to reach audiences directly, while musicians can release a song to listeners around the world within minutes.
This transformation has created new creative careers in digital production, editing, animation, online journalism and content strategy. It has also increased the importance of media literacy, careful source verification and responsible communication. The speed of online information offers extraordinary opportunities, but it requires audiences and creators to distinguish reliable reporting from rumor and incomplete material.
The future of Pakistani music and media will depend on maintaining a productive relationship between tradition and innovation. Archives must preserve historic recordings, films, scripts and regional performances, while cultural institutions need to support the living artists who carry inherited knowledge. Digitization can make rare material accessible to students and international audiences, but preservation must also include teaching, performance and fair recognition of traditional communities.
At the same time, emerging creators need professional training, sustainable production systems and opportunities beyond the largest cities. Greater visibility for women, regional-language performers, independent musicians and young media professionals can broaden the stories Pakistan shares with itself and with the world.
Pakistan’s music and media are strongest when they allow different voices to meet. A classical melody can enter an electronic arrangement, a village instrument can appear in a global music video, and an old poem can find new life through television or streaming. Across microphones, cameras, printing presses and mobile screens, the country continues an immense cultural conversation—one rooted in memory, but always open to a new rhythm.
