Folk singer Shaukat Ali passes away in Lahore

Punjabi folk singer Shaukat Ali has passed away in Lahore at the age of 78.

He had been undergoing treatment at the Combined Military Hospital in the city for almost a month. His son Ameer Shaukat Ali had said in a video posted a few days earlier that his father was being treated by the Army on the directives of Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa.

He had been admitted to the intensive care unit due to liver failure.

Last September, his son Imran told Dawn that due to the Covid-19 pandemic, there had been no cultural activities and his father needed financial aid.

“My father is a 1991 Pride of Performance [awardee] and his services for this country as a folk singer cannot be forgotten. I appeal to the chief minister and the cultural institutions to provide financial assistance for my father who is battling for his life,” he had said.

Apart from his Pride of Performance award, Shaukat Ali was also dubbed the voice of Punjab in 1976 and performed at the Asian Games in New Delhi in 1982. He was known for his patriotic songs Saathion Mujahidon Jaag Utha Hai Sara Watan, Mera Puttar Pakistan Da and Apna Quaid Aik Hai during the 1965 and 1971 wars and began his career as a playback singer in a Punjabi movie in 1963.

He was famous for singing lok geet, ghazals and Punjabi songs.

The singer was from Malakwal in Mandi Bahauddin district and is survived by three sons Imran, Ameer and Mohsin. His funeral will be held at 10pm and he will be laid to rest at the Samsani Graveyard in Lahore's Johar Town.

Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar has offered his condolences on Shaukat Ali's death and said the folk singer will be remembered for his contributions to the music industry. With his death, the golden age of music has come to an end, said the chief minister.