We often assume that Pakistanis who have settled in other countries, or are born outside of Pakistan, don’t care about their homeland – which, in most cases, is not true. Their hearts always beat for this country and they try their best to contribute to its prosperity by giving back in whatever way they can, as they know that Pakistan is their real identity. Their hearts ache when they see and hear about heinous and dastardly incidents that swamp their motherland time and again. Every Pakistani living abroad has his own unique way of expressing his love for Pakistan.

Art, in any form, is the most effective way of getting your voice heard across the borders and condemning abominable acts of any kind. A Pakistani-American singer, Imran Raza, has embarked on a mission to make people aware of the wrongdoings and barbarism of the terrorists. Imran has beseeched people to obliterate the wicked forces from this world by spreading the message of peace through his soul-stirring and message-oriented songs. He wants to create an atmosphere in which people shower love for one another, exercise tolerance, and never think about harming others.

He is pushing boundaries to reacquaint the world with the music of his home country. He is a filmmaker, writer, and frontman of the rock band Sonic Ashtanga, and can be described as a ‘rock Renaissance man’. He has thrust into the limelight of American media and his work has been featured in different mainstream channels in America and Pakistan.

His new music video ‘Hammarah Ghar’, dedicated to the innocent kids of Army Public School Peshawar who were massacred on December 16, 2014, in one of the most appalling incidents in the recent times, was released in Pakistan.

It is a powerful and poignant music video that deplores the brutal act in the strongest possible lyrics and  implores the people of Pakistan to banish the monsters (nikalo inko humare ghar se) who have taken the  lives of the school-going children whose only motive was to acquire education. The music has been  composed by Grammy Award Winner, Anton Pukshansky. In the vocals, Imran has been joined by Sufi-  Pop band Raeth’s Wajih Farooqi and renowned musician Rahat Fateh Ali Khan.

The song narrates that Pakistan is the abode of lovers and practitioners of various forms of music.  The  video further enunciates that music was deeply loved here until the extremists annihilated the cradles of  music entities and tried to deprive us of our rich culture.

The video keeps the viewers enthralled and glues their attention with touching images of the sufferings  that have plagued their lives since the menace of terrorism started engulfing Pakistan. Imran stressed  that Islam is a beautiful religion and preaches love, peace and forbearance, and there is no place for  hatred in it.

“Hammarah Ghar was conceived and produced to deliver a humanitarian message to the whole world,” he  said. “I believe in the values of liberty, plurality, and human rights and this is what I’m striving for. Music  is one powerful exponent that can be translated and penetrated into people’s minds,” he added.

Imran wishes to see a Pakistan where people reunite – irrespective of their beliefs, customs and  ethnicities – and endeavor to resurrect a peaceful and booming Pakistan.