Renowned singer Sajjad Ali has become the latest figure to criticize the national singing contest, Pakistan Idol. During a press conference in Canada last week, he described the show as somewhat “monotonous.”
Ali explained that the show’s repetitive nature stems from the limited library of songs available to the performers. He placed the blame directly on the program organizers, who, he said, had failed to acquire the rights to his songs and those of other notable musicians.
He made the bold claim that “every contestant wanted to sing [their] songs” and that anyone performing his music “would win great praise and maybe even the competition itself.”
The rights the singer is referring to are copyrights, which grant an artist exclusive ownership over their work under the Copyright Ordinance 1962. Sajjad Ali confirmed that the Pakistan Idol team had approached him for licensing, but they could not reach an agreement due to “financial terms” of the potential deal.
He stated that a major portion of the show’s current library consists of songs acquired via EMI Records, Pakistan’s oldest operating record label. EMI holds the rights to music from legends like Noor Jehan, Mehdi Hassan, and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, as well as bands like Strings and Vital Signs.
Earlier, playback singer Humaira Arshad also questioned the qualifications of the Pakistan Idol judges, asserting that more experienced musicians could have been chosen instead of Fawad Khan.
So far, the public reaction to these criticisms has been largely dismissive, with many people simply happy to see talented Pakistanis receiving a national platform.
