Kashmir`s all-girl band ‘Pragaash’ calls it quits

Srinagar: Kashmir on Monday lost its only all-girls rock-band as its three teenage members decided to call it quits, a day after the Grand Mufti issued a fatwa terming singing as un-Islamic and asked them to abandon it.

Although the girls have maintained silence over the issue, sources close to them said, they have decided to quit singing and music. The girls had defied convention by stepping into the male-dominated field but faced online threats and abuses from conservative sections of the society. The Grand Mufti Bashiruddin Ahmad yesterday issued a decree terming singing as un-Islamic. "I have said, singing is not in accordance with Islamic teachings," Ahmad told a news agency. He said, he has advised the members of the first all-girls rock band of Kashmir to abandon singing as "it is against Islamic teachings and will not help them in playing any constructive role in the society." Chief Minister Omar Abdullah was among large number of people who came out in support of the girls. Omar even reportedly dismissed the decree on his Twitter page but removed the Tweet later. The teenage girls who came to limelight in December last year after their scintillating performance at the annual `Battle of the Bands` competition here, received online threats and absurd comments, forcing them to keep a low profile. Though there are dozens of bands currently playing popular music of different genres in the valley, the girls - vocalist-guitarist Noma Nazir, drummer Farah Deeba and guitarist Aneeka Khalid (all students of 10th standard) - formed the first all-girls rock band by the name of "Pragaash" (light) and won the best performance award in their first public appearance. PTI