OneWorld.net (U.S.)

A musician plays his rabab, a guitar-like instrument, while singing a folk song at a Pashtun gathering in Islamabad. Soon many in the audience - including clerics - tie up their turbans and start dancing to the beat of dholak drums.

The lure of the music, for that moment, offers a rare outlet for self-expression in a society where frivolity is frowned upon.

Pashtuns are the dominant ethnic group in Afghanistan and the tribal regions of Pakistan - making them a key focus on the US-led war on terror. Pashto music, many believe, has the potential to challenge elements of religious extremism in a way that military action alone cannot.

"From mullah to nationalist and warrior, Pashto music attracts everyone in our society," says popular Pashtun musician Sardar Mohammad Takkar.

The art form is undergoing a renaissance with the help of the first-ever Pashtun TV station, which helps artists make music videos and gain instant stardom.

Featuring mostly men wearing trousers and T-shirts, playing guitar and keyboards along with Pashtun instruments, Khyber TV is fusing tradition with outside influences and creating space for change. "Khyber Beats," the channel's music video show, has gained millions of viewers in both Afghanistan and Pakistan.

"Not only is music elemental and the response to it primordial, in the current context it is the most effective tool for subverting the social order," says Amir Mateen, director of the channel. But "we have tried to make inroads gradually ... as we are dealing with a conservative society."

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