Coke Studio guitarist\u00a0Imran Akhoond is facing threats to the point where he can’t leave the house. The well-known session player stopped going to live gigs over fears regarding his safety.<\/p>\n
It all started two months ago when Akhoond, along with his wife and younger daughter, drove off to Buffer Zone at 5 am. The family was headed to offer condolences\u00a0because of a\u00a0death in the family.<\/p>\n
When he stepped out of the car, two\u00a0unidentified men appeared out of nowhere and pushed him into his car and held the family at gunpoint. The armed men warned him to stop playing music, telling him that its haram. They also accused him of ‘working with a Jewish company’.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat you are doing is Haraam and against the spirit of Islam. The music you play on TV is backed by Jewish companies and that is also forbidden. I hope you understand what we are trying to tell you.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
What Happened\u00a0Next?<\/h3>\n
Ever since that traumatic encounter, Imran does not leave his house alone. Normally a\u00a0friend comes to pick him up or he takes a Careem, so that he is never alone.<\/p>\n
The incident took place on January 16th in the Buffer Zone. Imran lives in Gulshan-e-Iqbal.<\/p>\n
Akhoond registered a complaint in the Taimuria Police Station four days later. Despite repeated requests, an FIR was not\u00a0registered.<\/p>\n
\u201cFifteen days later they [police] called me and asked, \u2018what should we do with your complaint\u2019 and I told them, \u2018it\u2019s not my job to find out who did it.\u2019\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Apparently, the police don’t feel like it’s their job to find out either.<\/p>\n
What did the Police Do?<\/h3>\n
The police have taken no action so far based on Imran Akhoond\u2019s complaint. Central Zone SSP Arif Aslam Rao claims to be unaware of this incident altogether.<\/p>\n
When Imran tried to follow on the case, police told him to just ‘be mindful’. They suggested that he have CCTV cameras installed at his house.<\/p>\n
The\u00a048-year-old musician comes from a middle-class family and can not afford to hire private security. Out of fear, he has not been performing at live events over the past two months.<\/p>\n\n
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