Special Tribute to Fareeda Khanum

Radio Pakistan Lahore is organizing a special music concert titled "Malka-e-Ghazal" on Saturday to pay tributes to legendary Ghazal singer Farida Khanum. All FM-101‚ FM-93 channels and Medium Wave stations as well as the current affairs channel. National Broadcasting Service will broadcast live the concert from 2:10 p.m. Live Audio will also be available on Radio Pakistan's website radio.gov.pk. Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan will be the chief guest while renowned poet and former Chief Secretary Punjab Javed Qureshi and Director General Radio Pakistan Murtaza Solangi will be the guests of honour. Renowned intellectuals‚ musicians and experts will throw light on the life and services of Farida Khanum. On this occasion a musical performance will also be organized in which following artists and singers will take part. Shujaat Hashmi‚ Compare Hussain Bukhsh Gullu‚ Singer Hamid Ali Khan‚ Singer Rubina Qureshi‚ Singer Ijaz Qaiser‚ Singer Fareeha Pervaiz‚ Singer Sara Raza‚ Singer Shabnum Majeed‚ Singer Ali Abbas‚ Singer Habib Ali‚ Singer Shujaaat Ali Khan‚ Singer -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Farida Khanum (born 1935) is a Ghazal singer from Punjab. The Times of India has called her "Malika-e-Ghazal" (Queen of Ghazal). In 2005‚ she was awarded the Hilal-e-Imtiaz‚ Pakistan's second highest civilian honour by President. Early life Born in (1935) in Calcutta and raised in Amritsar. Her sister is Mukhtar Begum. She started learning Khayal from her sister Mukhtar Begum at age seven and later learnt classical music from Ustad Ashiq Ali Khan. Her sister Mukhtar Begum would take her‚ a seven-year-old Farida‚ to Khan's place for riyaaz. She migrated to Pakistan after partition of India in 1947. Career Farida Khanum gave her first public concert in 1950 and then joined Radio Pakistan where she courted fame and fortune. She became a star when Pakistan's president Ayub Khan invited her to a public recital in the '60s. The ghazal she is most associated with is Aaj Jaane Ki Zidd Naa Karo.