Pakistan’s largest music reality show, Pakistan Idol Season 2, maintains a good viewership and a public uptake but has also been mired in a series of controversies.
The show was at first criticised on the basis of the judging panel and then was subject to serious allegations made by a contestant, M. Abrar Shahid, who alleged that he had been forced out of the competition.
Now, the show has been befallen by another controversy as well, as renowned photographer Ahsan Qureshi has brought up legal proceedings against the show and its organisers. He claimed that he was deceived and that he had not been paid what he was promised and sought justice through the courts.
Qureshi said that he took long time to decide to involve Pakistan Idol in a legal battle, and the court has started taking up the hearing of the matter. He stated he respects the legal process, and he’ll put his case forward with the full information.
He also asked the public not to speculate and respect the legal proceedings that are ongoing.
At present, Pakistan Idol Season 2 is running on air with Fawad Khan as a judge together with Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Bilal Maqsood and Zeb Bangash.
Earlier, singer Humaira Arshad had also questioned the show’s judges, saying that more experienced musicians could have been included in place of Fawad Khan, the lead singer of the popular 2000s band Entity Paradigm.
On the other hand, singer-songwriter Falak Shabbir has taken a completely different stance amid Sajjad Ali’s copyright dispute. He announced that all Pakistan Idol contestants can sing his songs freely. According to Falak, the move is to encourage emerging artists.
“I allow Pakistan Idol to use all my songs so that new singers can shine and make Pakistan’s name shine globally,” he wrote on Instagram.
Falak’s move drew mixed reactions on social media. Many users praised his spirit, while some called Sajjad Ali’s stance unnecessary. “This is a very strange act,” wrote one user. “We respect you a lot, but this statement is unnecessary.”
