It was not just a loss for Pakistan but for the entire world when Qawali maestro Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan died at the peak of his career in 1997.
His nephew, renowned singer Rahat Fateh Ali Khan has now revealed that Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’s qawwali ‘Allah Hoo Allah Hoo’ was so loved by Westerners that they started calling him ‘Mr. Allah Hoo.’
Recently, he spoke to the media in Canada and said, “Toronto is my second home because Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’s wife used to live here and I used to come and stay at her house, my memories are associated with this city.”
He further added, “My son Shah Zaman is performing on the big stage at a young age, he has learned by listening and singing along with Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan from the age of six.”
He said, “Qawwali is my favorite genre in the art of music, there is freedom in Qawwali in which there is an opportunity to sing openly.”
“We come abroad with the smell of the soil of our country,” he added He said that like the West, “I also liked Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’s ‘Allah Ho Allah Ho’ the most.”
Now he is doing shows in North America with his son Shah Zaman Ali Khan.
Famous singer and social worker Shehzad Roy has posed an important question while highlighting a significant issue.
He shared a video on Instagram featuring students from a school run by his organization, Zindagi Trust, holding hands alongside Roy.
In the video, he addresses his followers, writing, “Let me tell you why I stand with folded hands in front of the apartments and residents around SMB Fatima Jinnah School in Karachi, under Zindagi Trust.”
He notes that people often complain about corrupt rulers, the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation’s failure to pick up garbage, and how these issues have contributed to the destruction of our country and city—and they are right.
The video shows a classroom that was once a gathering spot for drug addicts, now used for girls’ conferences. It also features an area formerly controlled by the land mafia, which has been transformed into a library.
Roy then showcases an art room, emphasizing that it is larger than those in many private and expensive schools in the city. This space, which was previously used for weddings, has now been repurposed for educational purposes.
“I won’t blame all the residents, but many have witnessed this transformation, yet they still throw their garbage into the girls’ school,” the singer said.
He spoke on behalf of the schoolgirls, saying that the 3,000 girls at the school are joining hands to request that neighborhood residents stop throwing garbage on the school grounds and help keep it clean.
He added, “If, after hearing these girls’ pleas, people continue to throw garbage here, then perhaps this nation would even throw garbage in heaven.”
His Instagram post’s caption read: “What should we do now to stop people from throwing garbage in our school? Any advice?”
Pakistani singer Bilal Saeed is facing criticism from fans and critics after he threw his microphone into the crowd during a university concert. A video of the incident went viral on social media, showing Saeed abruptly ending his performance and tossing the mic forcefully before leaving the stage.
Fans were surprised and upset by his actions, drawing comparisons to American rapper Cardi B’s mic-throwing incident. Some users expressed worry about Saeed’s anger and suggested he take a break from public appearances.
After a long wait, the singer of ‘Hogai Ghalti’ took to Instagram and explained what happened. Bilal shared pictures of himself performing at past concerts, expressing how the stage means everything to him and is where he feels most alive.
“I have always felt the most complete and the most alive while performing,” he begun his long caption. “I forget my sickness, stress, worries – I leave everything behind when I perform for my fans. And no matter what, nothing should have come in the way of me and the respect that my stage deserved from me.” Bilal acknowledged the unexpected nature of the incident and clarified that it was a response to an attendee’s misconduct.
The songwriter made it clear that he really cares about his fans. He said, “I love my fans and sometimes that love can be overwhelming for both sides.” As per Bilal, it was not the first time he had encountered someone in his audience misbehaving but he had never before reacted in such a manner. He wrote, “It wasn’t the first time someone was misbehaving in the crowd but it was definitely the first time I gave the wrong reaction!” Without disclosing any details as to the nature of the attendee’s misconduct, Bilal firmly stated, “I should have never left the stage.”
In the caption he wrote, “We have a very special relationship with Rahat Fateh Ali Khan.”
Merchant was grateful for working with and being close to Rahat Fateh Ali Khan. “We have a special bond and brotherhood with Rahat bhai. From songs like Ore Piya, Saaiyaan, Dillagi, Mujhko Teri Zaroorat, Padharo Maula, Aafreen, to performing together a few times… I’m really happy to know him so well,” said the composer.
Pakistan’s celebrated singer Shazia Manzoor has been honored in Ontario, Canada on Friday with The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Pin. The award was presented by Canadian politician Shafqat Ali, who praised the veteran singer for her contribution to arts and culture.
“It was such an honour to host Shazia Manzoor, a recognized and renowned Pakistani singer, and to recognize her for her contribution to art and culture and her commitment to bringing South Asian communities together through her song It was such a blessing to meet the acclaimed Pride of Performance of Pakistan and to award her with Her Majesty the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Pin Thank you for visiting and we hope to see you again soon.”
But it seems like AP Dhillon has seemingly debunked these rumors, with a pinned comment by the producer Rebbel below the ‘Without You’ music video which reads:
“This beat is not copied or stolen. It’s produced by me and AP Dhillon rightfully purchased this beat off me and now owns the exclusive rights. I’m grateful to have been part of this record.”
Singer and actress Komal Rizvi was a guest on Nadir Ali’s podcast where she opened up about her abusive first marriage and how she managed to escape it. Recalling her past, Rizvi revealed that she was quite naive at the time she got married, as she was only 21 years old and this was a semi-arranged marriage for which she had been given only four months to accept the propsal. The actress had lived in Dubai for a year, and later shifted to Oman when the beatings began, getting worse to the point that even the police had to be called.
“I was 21 years old when I had gotten married, so I was very young… When we lived in Oman, I didn’t have any family or friends that I could escape to, and my ex-husband never gave me any money to keep me under his control. One time, I called the police on him when he was beating me. But instead of taking action, they dismissed it as a domestic problem and left, leaving me completely alone with him.”
Recalling what she had learned from her past ordeal, after getting a divorce four years later, the actress said she wished more parents would educate their children about understanding boundaries, because her husband would psychologically abuse her to believe the beatings she was receiving were her own fault.
“Women from the start in our society are told that they will have a beautiful wedding, after which they will have a husband who will take care of all of their needs. Which is why, so many women are willing to give their 200% in order to make their marriages work. But I detest that we never teach women about the importance of establishing boundaries, that let alone their husband, no man can cross. Which is the thing I regret the most because then I would not have wasted three and a half years trying to make my marriage work. My husband would play all sorts of mind games to gaslight me and make me feel like I am responsible for the beatings because I made him angry. For instance, he would say ‘it’s your fault that you served me with cold food, so I hit a frying pan on your head.’ I kept believing that if I loved him better or worked harder, he would be proud of me.”
Rizvi especially emphasized how important it is that women are emotionally strong and be vary of men who try to encourage them to abandon their careers and dreams, because this is how her husband treated her.
“Men like my ex-husband, who are psychopaths, especially try to ensure that they trap the girl to prevent her from escaping in any way. They go after girls like me who were quiet independent and successful, and ask her to abandon all of this in order to become a wife. They want a simple, meek girl who has no independence or opinions of her own, so they can bend her in to two pieces.”
After escaping her abusive marriage, Rizvi recalled that it was incredibly difficult to be happy and come out of her dark hole, and said that it’s important that society helps women understand that their life isn’t over after a divorce, and provide them with the support system and care one needs.
‘Because I was very young when I got divorced. I used to think ‘Oh my life is over! Who would marry me?’ Now I look back and I’m shocked that I said things like this because I remind myself today that I still have a long way to go!” joked Rizvi.
On the lesson she wished parents, and especially men, would take away from her revelation, Rizvi said that men need to learn to respect women, and ensure that when they’re bringing a woman who had a lot of protection when she lived with her parents, ‘Make sure you provide her the same amount of honor, respect and love. And when she becomes the mother of your children, provide her with twice the amount of love and care than you usually gave.”
Pakistani classical singer Bilqees Khanum passed away yesterday in Karachi after a prolonged illness. Her prayers will be held today at Imam Bargah Khairul Amal.
Bilqees Khanum was a renowned classical singer famous for such hits as Anokha Ladla, Kuch din to baso, Lathay di chaddar and Chaap Tilak.
Bilqees had received musical training from her grandfather Inayat Ali Khan.
Khanum was previously married to Ustaad Raees Khan, the celebrated sitar performer, who passed away in 2017. She is survived by her four sons, two of whon are in India while the other two remain in Pakistan.
Actor Imran Asraf Awan has announced his divorce with wife designer wife Kiran Ashfaq after four years of marriage.
Taking it to his Instagram, Imran wrote: “With a heavy heart, we announce that we have mutually and respectfully decided to part ways.”
“The primary concern for both of us will remain our son, Roham for whom we will continue to be the best possible parents.”
“We request the fans, well wishers and the media to support us during this difficult time and give us the privacy we need to move on. Love and respect for all, Kiran and Imran, concluded Ranjha Ranjha Kardi actor.”
They tied the knot in 2018.
Recently, Imran exclusively spoke to The Current about his love story with Kiran and their marriage details.
Musician Abdullah Qureshi has announced that he is quitting his music career for religious reasons.
In a statement shared on his social media accounts, Qureshi revealed his reasons for ‘being lost’.
“I have received a ton of messages in this time asking about where I have been,” he wrote. “I was on a break, pressed the pause button for a while and took this time to find out who I was, where I am headed and who I want to become.” Announcing his decision to quit the music industry, Qureshi said, ” want to take a moment to announce my exit from the music industry as I have decided to stop doing music as a full-time profession. I took this decision purely because of religious reasons.”
He added, “I had a great time making music, playing at concerts for thousands of people, getting loved and appreciated, facing controversies, making some wrong decisions, spreading some positivity, making some amazing friends, working with people who were my idols, learning from the best and doing what I loved doing.” Sharing how he now believes that the actual purpose of his life is “way bigger than all of this”, Qureshi remarked, “We have very little time in this world to make our afterlife better.”
He explained, “Alhamdulillah, I am very satisfied with this decision and I am on my way to find the real truth and I pray that Allah makes this new journey easy for me.”
He asserted that he will no longer perform in concerts or appear in ads. “I would appreciate it if I am not contacted for those. However, if I am needed for any appearance events, social media campaigns or work that interests me and falls in the folds of our religion, I’d be happy to do it.” He concluded his statement with gratitude for endless support and love.
Qureshi’s decision was welcomed by many on social media. However, around the same time, singer Natasha Baig, without naming names, presented an imperative point to ponder. “I will never accept those musicians or actors who leave behind their career in the name of awakening,” Baig shared on social media. “Because that proves the wrong narrative that has been attached with music.”
She added, “So, please go ahead and congratulations on your awakening but do not make us look like villains in the process. Your acts might be something that Islam never appreciates, but music is divine and it has nothing to do with any sinful act unless you are unable to control your nafs and nafs can become a problem in any profession.”
Even actor Hamza Ali Abbasi shared his take on Qureshi’s decision. Hamza tweeted, “May God give u the strength & persistence in ur iman, ikhlaaq & deeds brother. Just want to share my discovery that Music is not completely haraam in Islam. If u have time, please watch this 1 program https://youtu.be/VizbnlNBLvQ OR this detailed 10 part series.”
Last year, Qureshi took to his Instagram stories to respond to a girl’s accusations about him sliding into her inbox with inappropriate messages. Qureshi In this apologised and stated that he is sorry to everyone that he has hurt or harmed in any way and requested the removal of anything related to ‘this’ because it has affected his career and is likely to affect his daughter.
His apology read, “I apologise to everyone for all this. I won’t blame my drunken state because it was me at the end of the day. But yes, I did have a drinking problem and I do have fetishes. But everyone has fetishes.”
He went on to clarify that his apology “is not about that [his fetishes],” but about “messaging randoms.” He further stated, “Yes, I did have that problem too but I stopped when I had my daughter. I apologise to her for being the worst dad.” Qureshi added that he had discussed all of this with his wife a year ago and the matter was settled between them.
“We are happy and I’m a changed man.” The Dastaan crooner continued, “I am sorry to everyone I have hurt or harmed in any way and I request removal of anything regarding this because it has already affected my career and most importantly, it’s going to affect my daughter.”
