Rahat Fateh Ali Khan initially agreed to work on the project, but Sahir Ali Bagga disclosed that he later declined to record a tribute song for the martyrs of the APS Peshawar.

Bagga revealed that ISPR asked him to write a song following the APS disaster.

Rahat Fateh Ali Khan was his first pick to sing. Rahat took money and consented to sing the song.

But then he changed his mind, blaming fear, and he apologized to Sahir for his choice.

Bagga was disappointed by Rahat’s rejection, but he remained committed to seeing the project through.

In the end, he chose to have his own son perform the song. Bagga was severely impacted by the horrible APS Peshawar catastrophe.

He was reminded of his enrolled son Azaan, who went on to perform the song and make it popular.

Azaan, Bagga's son, sang the now-famous track “Bara Dushman Bana Phirta Hai” and another popular song, “Humein Dushman Ke Bachon Ko Parhana Hai.”

Despite Rahat’s refusal, Bagga remains a fan of the singer.

He did not clarify if Rahat returned the payment after backing out of the project.

Both songs, released in 2015 after the 2014 APS Peshawar attack, received widespread acclaim and are still remembered as powerful tributes to the martyrs.