A girl named Nazia

By Anis Ahmed Shakur

The news of the death of pop star Nazia Hassan on Sunday, August 13, 2000, spread like wildfire.

Within seconds, the internet, newspapers and the rest of the news media around the globe were flashing the news of her final journey.

Amidst the sobs and tears, almost every one had one thing in mind, i.e., “God Almighty had showered Nazia with all the bounties, except length of age.

One could easily rank her as the first and foremost pop singer of Asia, generally and the Indo-Pak Subcontinent in particular. Born in a well to do, highly enlightened family in 1965, she had shown an aptitude for music from her earlier days.

As a young child, she frequently appeared in Pakistan television’s music program for children, called ‘Sung Sung’. Sohail Rana was the lead person of that show. Her father Baseer and her mother Muneeza took great interest in the upbringing and education of Nazia and her younger brother, Zohaib.

Both of these gifted kids were admitted to school in London, where they received education as well as lessons in music.

In 1978, in England, thirteen year old Nazia recorded a song “Aap jaisa koi meri zindigi mein Aaye, to baath bun jaaye” (The film ‘Qurbani’, music: Biddu, lyrics: Indeevar, picturised on Zeenat Aman).

“Aap jaisa koi” is considered the first pop song of the Indo-Pak subcontinent, the greatest achievement of Nazia. Hence, a milestone in her music career.

In 1979, both Nazia and Zohaib came out with their first music album “Disco Deewanay”, which happened to be a record breaking collection of pop songs.

She became the heart-throb of teenagers with songs like:

‘Komal palkain bojhal’.

‘Boom boom’.

‘Dum dum, dee, dee’.

‘Aaona pyar karain, and many more.

Nazia was married to an entrepreneur, Ishtiaq Beig, in 1995, with whom she had a son, Areez, in 1997. She had been battling against cancer since 1996 and eventually succumbed to it on Sunday morning. She was 35 years old.

An admirer of Nazia had confided in me the other day: “How could this happen to such a decent girl, with a sweet voice, who had brought happiness to the lives of millions of music lovers around the world. OH God, why Nazia”?

“Nazia had, indeed, walked all the steps, which had been ordained for her by an authority, which is greater than any human agency.”

I answered calmly.