Web Desk
Popular Punjabi folk singer Shaukat Ali has passed away in eastern city of Lahore on Friday after a protracted illness . He was 77.
Shaukat Ali was under treatment at Pakistan Army’s Combined Military Hospital (CMH) in Lahore after liver failure, his son Imran Shaukat said.
In a video message on Thursday, his son Ameer Shaukat had requested fans to pray for the recovery of his ailing father.
“I would request the entire nation to pray for Shaukat Ali who is critically ill,” he said while revealing that his father was receiving treatment at the military hospital on the special directives of army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa.
Ameer also said he was thankful to Major General Babar Iftikhar, the Director General of Inter-Service Public Relations.
Born into a family of artistes in Malakwal, a town in Gujrat district of Punjab province (now in Mandi Bahauddin district), Shaukat Ali began singing in the 1960s, while at college, receiving help from his elder brother Inayat Ali Khan.
He was introduced into the film industry world as a playback singer by the renowned film music director M Ashraf in the Punjabi film Tees Maar Khan in 1963.Shaukat Ali sang countless songs – including some super hits like war-time patriotic song “Saathio Mujahido” and national song “Apna Parcham Aik, Apna Quaid-i-Azam Aik Hai” – during his almost five-decade-long career.
He was known for singing devotional poetry with great vigor and a wide vocal range, for example Heer Waris Shah and Saif ul Maluk. As folk singer, he was equally popular in both Pakistani and Indian Punjabs.
Shaukat Ali was a one of the most prolific singers in Pakistani who was equally good at singing ghazal, devotional, folk and patriotic songs.
He was awarded the presidential Pride of Performance, the highest civil award, in 1990 in recognition of his services. He was also given the title of ‘Voice of Punjab’ in 1976. In 2013, he was honoured with the ‘Pride of Punjab’ award by the Pakistan Institute of Language, Art and Culture (PILAC).
Prime Minister Imran Khan has expressed his deep grief and sorrow over the sad demise of the singer.
He prayed for the elevation of the departed soul to high ranks and for fortitude to the grieved family.
The premier said that the services of late Shaukat Ali in the field of singing in the country will always be remembered.
