Hallelujah Band: Spreading a message of hope in Pakistan

While Christians in Pakistan are terrorised, hope-filled messages by this band are what Pakistanis need most.

“A voice is a human gift; it should be cherished and used, to utter fully human speech as possible. Powerlessness and silence go together” – Margaret Atwood

Given the unending discrimination which the Christians of Pakistan live with, certainly no words or actions can pacify or comfort them completely. The community lives under constant threat of  persecution, attacks or the blasphemy law, fearing that any day something might happen that will shatter their lives forever.

Despite all this, the Christian community remains steadfast in its faith.

Soon after the twin suicide attacks inside the All Saints Church of Peshawar, I relentlessly began looking for those who would help the community sustain hope. What they needed the most, in this time of distress, was to uplift themselves and encourage others to recognise and trust their faith.

A committed and dedicated spirit was needed to drive such a message of hope and peace everywhere. However, I knew this message could only be effectively delivered by someone from within the Christian community. Thus, began my search and in the midst of it, I found a young group of Christians who carry the message of peace, hope and love in their music.

Formed in November 2011, under the name ‘Hallelujah Band’, this six-member musical group is not only blessed with talent but also with the power of faith and love for Jesus Christ.

The Hallelujah Band arranges a prayer evening in Lahore, to comfort those who have lost their loved ones in the Peshawar Church blast. Photo: Hallelujah - The Band (Pakistan) official Facebook page

The members of the band include Zahid Nazir (vocalists), Zeeshan Rafiq (vocalist, lyricist, and composer), Anthony Soshil Shah (Keyboard, arrangement and music programmer), Adnan Peter Gill (Guitarist, mixing and mastering engineer), Waqar Peter Gill (Guitarist, production and video director) and Sunil Inayat (Bassist and recording engineer).

“Hallelujah is not just the name of our band; rather it is the slogan that we carry and it’s the word that everyone can say and affiliate their faith with,” said Waqar Peter Gill, the band’s spokesman and guitarist.

The motivation behind the formation of this gospel band is to give the message of love, peace and forgiveness, which the Christians carry, to the world and to the Muslim majority population of Pakistan.

“We want to spread the message of hope amongst the Christians who are living in fear, through our music”, Waqar expressed.

Gifted with the talent to sing in more than one language, this band magnificently mixes Urdu with English to make it easy for the international listeners to understand. Their song ‘Mera Masih’ (My Jesus) is a vivid manifestation of this.



Not only this, but this group’s one song ‘Rahber’ (leader) has become the first Christian video to be played on different music channels around the country and was titled ‘the true message of peace’.



It’s only in recent years that this trend of forming Christian bands and singing on professional platforms has developed. Before this, most of the songs and albums depicting messages from the psalms and other Christian melodies were sung by Muslim singers – which are still very popular. Professional Christian singers very few previously, and even today, the likes of the Hallelujah Band are a rarity.

As I my conversation continued with Waqar, who was sharing the story on behalf of all other band members, I came to know that another reason behind the formation this band is to show that Christians have the talent to bring their own music in true spirit.

This band is a project of Alfa Productions, which specialises in bringing out gospel productions and also trains young Christians as interns to give them a hands-on approach, so that afterwards when they enter the professional world, they won’t face as many problems in terms of practical knowledge.

The Hallelujah Band performing at the Jehova Yari Church, Sheikhupura. Photo: Hallelujah - The Band (Pakistan) official Facebook page

Hallelujah Band’s story of bringing change in the lives of the Christians of Pakistan doesn’t end here.

They are also aspiring to run a blood donation network, the need of which they felt after the Peshawar church blasts. They are committed to helping people, irrespective of race, colour and religion, through this blood bank after its formation.

I know one fact very clearly, whenever you are in minority you either get strengthened in your faith or you give up on it in the presence of insecurity, threats or persecution.

For the Christians of Pakistan, voices like the Hallelujah Band will always keep strengthening their faith and deliver the message of peace to everyone.