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Punjab University hires British music professor

* Rustam Fateh Ali Khan also among Musicology faculty
* Registrar says university ‘prepared to deal with miscreants’

By Afnan Khan

LAHORE: Punjab University has hired a British professor, Cambridge-graduate William Keith Timmney, and other international musicians to teach at the Department of Musicology despite threats by conservative elements, officials told Daily Times.

Keith has been a student at the Cambridge University, University of Cardiff and other renowned British institutions, and has a vast education in Music and Literature. He has taught music in Britain, Turkey and Egypt and was the head of the Musicology Department of Eastlea Community School in East London.

The university has also hired Rustam Fateh Ali Khan, son of the popular folk and classical singer Ustad Fateh Ali Khan and nephew of classical music icon Ustad Amanat Ali Khan. Rustam is an old Ravian and has won several national and international awards including a Role of Honour in Government College Lahore. He won the World Ghazal Festival in Malaysia and was given an award in the International Music Festival 2005 in Uzbekistan. His biggest honour so far is the Noor-e-Moseeqi title from the Patyala family of India.

Other faculty members include renowned tabla players and musicians including Raza Shaukat, Jamshed Azam and Irshad Khokhar.

The department has received hundreds of admission applications for the two-year Master’s programme in Music and classes for the maiden batch will begin on October 6. Theory classes will be held at the old campus of Punjab University (PU) and practical classes will be held at Alhamra.

PU Registrar Professor Dr Naeem Khan has said the faculty was hired despite threats and pressure put by “anti-education elements” such as Islami Jamiat Talaba (IJT).

“We have initiated the academic programme strictly for promotion of culture of our region,” he said, “and will not let anyone impose their opinion over the majority.” He said the university was “prepared to deal with miscreants”.

He said the administration and the vice chancellor had envisioned the Musicology Department in response to demands by students and to promote the legacy of Muslim mystics such as Ameer Khusro, Khawaja Moeenuddin Chishti, Khushhal Khan Khatak and folksinger Pathanay Khan.

“We have started a Master’s programme initially, and Bachelor’s classes will follow soon,” the registrar said. The programme was not meant to promote vulgarity, he said, “but to promote our culture internationally.” The department will be part of the Institute of Art and Design (IAD) in the beginning, he said, but would become independent later. The IJT has already threatened to “physically resist” music classes on campus and threatened the administration with dire consequences against programmes for performing arts.

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