Quick Facts
Official Name
| Islamic Republic of Pakistan |
Father of the Nation
| Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah |
President of Pakistan
| Mamnoon hussain |
Prime Minister of Pakistan
| Mian Muhammad Nawaz sharif |
Capital
| Islamabad |
Area
| 796,095 Sq. km. Punjab: 205,344 Sindh: 140,914 North West Frontier Province: 74,521 Balochistan: 347,190 Federally Administered Tribal Areas: 27,220 Islamabad (Pakistan Capital): 906 |
Pakistan Population
| 159,196,336 (July 2004 ) |
Ethnic composition
| 97% Muslims (77% Sunni, 20% Shia), 3% Christian, Hindu and others |
Per capita income
| US$ 1256 |
Currency
| Pak Rupee |
Exports
| Cotton, textile goods, rice, leather items, carpets, sports goods, fruits, handicrafts, Sea Food (Fisheries),surgical items |
Imports
| Industrial equipment, vehicles, iron ore, petroleum, edible oil |
Languages
| Urdu (National language) English (Official), Sindhi, Punjabi, Balochi, Saraiki &.... |
Literacy rate
| 45.7% |
Government
| Parliamentary form |
Parliament
| It consists of two Houses i. e., the Senate (Upper House) and the National Assembly (Lower House). The Senate is a permanent legislative body and symbolizes a process of continuity in the national affairs. It consists of 87 members. The four Provincial Assemblies, Federally Administered Tribal Areas and Federal Capital form its electoral college. The National Assembly has a total membership of 217 elected through adult suffrage (Muslim 207 and Minorities 10). |
Pakistan National Flag
| Dark green with a white vertical bar, a white crescent and a five-pointed star in the middle. The flag symbolizes Pakistan's profound commitment to Islam and the Islamic world. |
National Anthem
| Approved in June, 1954 Verses Composed by: Abul Asar Hafeez Jullundhri Tune Composed by: Ahmed G. Chagla Duration: 80 seconds |
State Emblem
| The State Emblem consists of: 1. The crescent and star which is symbol of Islam 2. The shield in the centre shows four major crops 3. Wreath surrounding the shield represents cultural heritage 4. Scroll contains Quaid's motto: Unity, Faith, Discipline |
National Flower
|
Jasmine
|
Flora
| Pine, Oak, Poplar, Deodar, Maple, Mulberry |
Fauna
| The Pheasant, Leopard, Deer, Ibex, Chinkara, Black buk, Neelgai, Markhor, Marco- Polo sheep, Green turtles, River & Sea fish, Crocodile, Water Fowls |
Popular games
|
Cricket, Hockey(National game), Football
|
| Tourist's resorts | Murree, Quetta, Hunza, Ziarat, Swat, Kaghan, Chitral and Gilgit |
Archaeological
| Moenjo Daro, Harappa, Taxila, Kot Diji, Mehr Garh |
Major Cities
| Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, Quetta, Rawalpindi, Hyderabad, Multan, Sialkot and Faisalabad |
Agriculture
|
Major crops are cotton, wheat, rice and sugarcane
|
Total cropped area
|
22.14 million hectares
|
Industry
|
Textiles, cement, fertilizer, steel, sugar, electric goods, shipbuilding
|
Energy
| Oil, Coal, Hydel, Thermal, Nuclear and Liquid Petroleum Gas WAPDA's total installed power generating capacity: 11,246 MW |
Health
|
Hospitals: 830
Beds: 86,921 Doctors registered: 74,229 Dentists registered: 2,938 Nurses registered: 22,810 |
Education
|
Primary schools: 150,963
Middle schools: 14,595 High schools: 9,808 Arts & science colleges: 798 Professional colleges: 161 Universities: 35 (10 in Private sector) |
Transport & Communication
| Total length of roads: 228,206 km Pakistan Railway network: 8,775 km Railway stations: 781 Pakistan International Airlines: Covers 55 international and 38 domestic stations Major Airports: 6 - Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Quetta, Peshawar and Gwadar |
Seaports
| International : 2 - Karachi and Bin Qasim Domestic: 3 - Minora, Gwadar and Pasni |
Communications
|
Post Offices: 13,419
Telephone connections: 2.47 million Public Call Offices: 10,000 Telegraph offices: 427 |
Employment
| Total Labour force: 37.15 million Agriculture sector: 47% Manufacturing & Mining sector: 10.50% Others: 42.50% |
Media
| a. Print Media Dailies: 424 Weeklies: 718 Fortnightlies: 107 Monthlies: 553 b. News Agencies APP (official) PPI & (Pvt) c. Electronic Media Pakistan Television: Five TV centres at Islamabad, Lahore, Peshawar,Quetta and Karachi covering 87% population Registered TV sets: 2,823,800 Viewership: 115 million Radio stations: Total 23, Home services in 20 languages. External services cover 70 countries in 15 languages Private TV/Radio: Radio stations 3, TV transmitter channels 2, Private News Agencies 2 |
Banks
|
Central Bank:State Bank of Pakistan
Other Banks:National Bank of Pakistan, Habib Bank Ltd., Muslim Commercial Bank Ltd., Allied Bank of Pakistan Ltd., First Woman Bank, Mehran Bank and the Bank of Punjab Specialised Banks: Agricultural Development Bank of Pakistan, Federal Bank for Co-operatives, Industrial Development Bank of Pakistan, The Punjab Provincial Co-operative Bank, Banker's Equity and National Development Finance Corporation
|
Famous Mountain Peaks
|
K-2 (Mt. Godwin Austin): 28,250 ft./8611 m (2nd largest in World)
Nanga Parbat: 26,660 ft./8126 m (8th in World) Gasherbrum-I: 26,470 ft./8068 m (11th in World) |
Famous Mountain Passes
|
The Khyber Pass
The KurramPass The Tochi Pass The Gomal Pass The Bolan Pass The Lowari Pass The Khunjrab Pass |
Rivers
| The Indus:2896km Jhelum: 825km Chenab:1242kmRavi:901km Sutlej:1551km Beas(tributary of Sutlej)398km Siachin:75km |
Famous Glaciers
| Siachin:75km Batura:55km Baltoro:62km |
Deserts
| Thar: Sindh Cholistan: Punjab Thal: Punjab |
Lakes
| Manchar:Sindh Keenjar:Sindh Hanna:Balochistan Saif-ul-Maluk: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Satpara:Northern Areas Kachura:Northern Areas |
Major Dams
| Mangla Dam:Punjab Tarbela Dam: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Warsak Dam: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa |
Brief History
The Indo-Greek Kingdom founded by Demetrius of Bactria included Gandhara and Punjab from 184 BCE, and reached its greatest extent underMenander, establishing the Greco-Buddhist period with advances in trade and culture. The city of Taxila (Takshashila) became a major centre of learning in ancient times — the remains of the city, located to the west of Islamabad, are one of the country's major archaeological sites. The RaiDynasty (c.489–632) of Sindh, at its zenith, ruled this region and the surrounding territories.
In 712 CE, the Arab general Muhammad Bin Qasim conquered Sindh and Multan in southern Punjab. The Pakistan government's official chronology states that "its foundation was laid" as a result of this conquest. This Arab and Islamic victory would set the stage for several successive Muslim empires in South Asia, including the Ghaznavid Empire, the Ghorid Kingdom, the Delhi Sultanate and the Mughal Empire. During this period, Sufi missionaries played a pivotal role in converting a majority of the regional Buddhist and Hindu population to Islam.
Demetrius of Bactria
Taxila (Takshashila)
Muhammad Bin Qasim
Ghorid Kingdom
The gradual decline of the Mughal Empire in the early eighteenth century provided opportunities for the Afghans, Balochis and Sikhs to exercise control over large areas until the British East India Company gained ascendancy over South Asia. The Indian Rebellion of 1857, also known as theSepoy Mutiny, was the region's last major armed struggle against the British Raj, and it laid the foundations for the generally unarmed freedom struggle led by the Indian National Congress in the twentieth century. In the 1920s and 1930s, a movement led by the Hindu politician Mahatma Gandhi, and displaying commitment to long enshrined Hindu tenet of ahimsa, or non-violence, engaged millions of protesters in mass campaigns of civil disobedience.
Mughal Empire
British East India Company
The Sepoy Mutiny
Indian National Congress
The All India Muslim League rose to popularity in the late 1930s amid fears of under-representation and neglect of Muslims in politics. On 29 December 1930, Allama Iqbal's presidential address called for an autonomous "state in northwestern India for Indian Muslims, within the body politic of India."Quaid e Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah espoused the Two Nation Theory and led the Muslim League to adopt the Lahore Resolution of 1940, popularly known as the Pakistan Resolution. In early 1947, Britain announced the decision to end its rule in India. In June 1947, the nationalist leaders of British India — including Nehru and Abul Kalam Azad on behalf of the Congress, Jinnah representing the Muslim League, and Master Tara Singh representing the Sikhs — agreed to the proposed terms of transfer of power and independence.
The modern state of Pakistan was established on 14 August 1947 (27 Ramadan 1366 in the Islamic Calendar), carved out of the two Muslim-majority wings in the eastern and northwestern regions of British India and comprising the provinces of Balochistan, East Bengal, the North-West Frontier Province, West Punjab and Sindh. The controversial, and ill-timed, division of the provinces of Punjab and Bengal caused communal riots across India and Pakistan — millions of Muslims moved to Pakistan and millions of Hindus and Sikhs moved to India.Disputes arose over several princely states including Muslim-majority Jammu and Kashmir, whose Hindu ruler had acceded to India following an invasion by Pashtun tribal militias, leading to the First Kashmir War in 1948.
Allama Iqbal
Muhammad Ali Jinnah
Abul Kalam Azad
14 August 1947
From 1947 to 1956, Pakistan was a Dominion of Pakistan in the Commonwealth of Nations. It became a Republic in 1956, but the civilian rule was stalled by a coup d’état by General Ayub Khan, who was president during 1958–69, a period of internal instability and a second war with India in 1965. His successor, Yahya Khan (1969–71) had to deal with a devastating cyclone — which caused 500,000 deaths in East Pakistan — and also face a civil war in 1971. Economic grievances and political dissent in East Pakistan led to violent political tension and military repression that escalated into a civil war. After nine months of guerrilla warfare between the Pakistan Army and the Indian backed Bengali Mukti Bahini militia, Indian intervention escalated into the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, and ultimately to the secession of East Pakistan as the independent state of Bangladesh.
Civilian rule resumed in Pakistan from 1972 to 1977 under Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, until he was deposed and later sentenced to death in 1979 by General Zia-ul-Haq, who became the country's third military president. Zia introduced the Islamic Sharia legal code, which increased religious influences on the civil service and the military. With the death of President Zia in a plane crash in 1988, Benazir Bhutto, daughter of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, was elected as the first female Prime Minister of Pakistan. Over the next decade, she fought for power with Nawaz Sharif as the country's political and economic situation worsened. Pakistan got involved in the 1991 Gulf War and sent 5,000 troops as part of a U.S.-led coalition, specifically for the defense of Saudi Arabia.
Military tensions in the Kargil conflict with India were followed by a Pakistani military coup d'état in 1999 in which General Pervez Musharraf assumed vast executive powers. In 2001, Musharraf became President after the controversial resignation of Rafiq Tarar. After the 2002 parliamentary elections, Musharraf transferred executive powers to the newly elected Prime Minister Zafarullah Khan Jamali, who was succeeded in the 2004 prime-ministerial election by Shaukat Aziz. On 15 November 2007, the National Assembly, for the first time in Pakistan's history, completed its tenure and new elections were called. The exiled political leaders Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif were permitted to return to Pakistan. However, the assassination of Benazir Bhutto during the election campaign in December led to postponement of elections and nationwide riots. Bhutto's Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) won the largest number of seats in the elections held in February 2008 and its member Yousaf Raza Gillani was sworn in as Prime Minister. On 18 August 2008, Pervez Musharraf resigned from the presidency when threatened to be faced with impeachment, and was succeeded by current president Asif Ali Zardari.
Ayub Khan
Yahya Khan
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
Zia-ul-Haq
Nawaz Sharif
Benazir Bhutto
Pervez Musharraf
Asif Ali Zardri
Music
Sufi Music
Sufi music is a genre of music inspired by Sufism, and by the works of Sufi poets, like Rumi, Hafez, Bulleh Shah and Khwaja Ghulam Farid. Qawwali is the most well known form of Sufi music, common in India and Pakistan . However, music is also central to the whirling dervishes and the ceremony of Sema, who use a slow, sedate form of music featuring the Turkish flute, the ney. The West African gnawa is another form, and Sufis from Indonesia to Afghanistan to Morocco have made music central to their practises. Some of the Sufi orders have taken an approach more akin to puritan forms of Islam, declaring music to be unhelpful to the Sufi way. Sufi love songs are often performed as ghazals and Kafi, a solo genre accompanied by percussion and harmonium, using a repertoire of songs by Sufi poets.
Abida Parveen
Abida Parveen is widely known as the queen of Sufi mystic singing spreads the message of love and induces a state of spiritual ecstasy with her Sufi mystic songs. Abida Parveen sings in Urdu, Sindhi, Seraiki, Punjabi and Persian, and together with Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan is considered one of the finest Sufi vocalists of the modern era.
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan (October 13, 1948 – August 16, 1997) a world-renowned Pakistani musician, was primarily a singer of Qawwali, the devotional music of the Sufis (a mystical tradition within Islam). Considered one of the greatest singers ever recorded, he possessed a six-octave vocal range[verification needed] and could perform at a high level of intensity for several hours.Extending the 600-year old Qawwali tradition of his family, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan is widely credited with introducing Sufi music to international audiencesbr.He was popularly known as Shahenshah-e-Qawwali, meaning The King of Kings of Qawwali.
Wazir Ali Shah
Wazir Ali Shah is superb Sindhi singer of Sufi and Aarfana kalams. Syed Wazir Ali Shah has beautiful voice. He sings arfana kalams for Sindhi music. Wazir Ali Shah is famous in rural areas of Sindh.
Sohrab Fakir
Sohrab Fakir was a Sufi singer. His full name is Sohrab Fakir Khaskhely'. He was born in 1934 in Khairpur Mir's.He was born in 1934 in Khairpur Mir's. He died in 23 October 2009.
Sanam Marvi
Sanam Marvi is a Pakistani folk andsufi singer. She sings in Urdu, Sindhiand Seraiki languages. She performs sufi concerts around the world. She is among the finest performers in the Sufi, ghazal and folk genres[2] She sings compositions of Baba Bulleh Shah,Baba Sheikh Farid, Sachal Sarmast, the Sufi mystic from Sindh, Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai.
Fareed Ayaz Qawwal
Fareed Ayaz Qawwal belongs to Qawwal Bachchon Ka Gharana of Delhi. Fareed Ayaz started his training in classical music his father, Ustad Munshi Raziuddin Ahmed Khan. Fareed Ayaz Qawwal & Bros. have performed in the United Kingdom, USA, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Holland, Portugal, Austria, India, Kenya, Nepal, Zimbabwe, Bangladesh, Croatia, Turkey, Morocco, Greece, Egypt, Bulgaria, Tunisia, Belgium, Iran, UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan.
Farida Khanum
This is a listing of all of Farida Khanum's Punjabi songs. Some of these songs are based on the Sufi kalam of the mystic saints of Punjab (like Bulleh Shah, Shah Hussain, Sultan Bahu, and Khwaja Ghulam farid) while others are based on folk lyrics.
Iqbal Bahoo
Is a Pakistani sufi singer. He was born in Gurdaspur, Punjab, India, but migrated to Pakistan after Independence, and settled in Lahore. Iqbal Bahu mastered the Sufi tradition of the well-known Sufi saint Sultan Bahu. He sings many Sufi songs for Radio Pakistan and Pakistan Television and was awarded the Tamgha-i-Imtiaz honor by the Government of Pakistan in 2008.
Sain Zahoor
Sain Zahoor or Saeen Zahur Ahmad (b. around 1945) is a leading Sufi musician from Pakistan. He spent his life singing in the Sufi shrines, and had not cut a record until 2006, when he was nominated for the BBC World Music awards based on word of mouth. He emerged as the “best BBC voice of the year 2006?
Folk Music
Folk music of Pakistan includes the traditional forms of Balochi, Pashto, Punjabi, and Sindhi. Pakistani folk songs include "Abeeti" (a love song sung by young women), "Allah Hoo" (a Muslim lullaby) and "Ashoor Jan" (a patriotic love song). Badala (or Sandara) is a historically significant form of Pashto folk music that focuses on local romance, epics, folktales, fables, local heroes and historical events. Badala also includes Pashto translations of epics and romance from Arabic and Persian.
Shaukat Ali Khan
Is a Pakistani folk singer. Born into a family of artists in Malakwal. Since 1970 he has performed ghazals and Punjabi folk songs. He gave a live performance at the 1982 Asian Games in New Delhi, and has been awarded the highest Pakistani civilian Presidential award. His song "Kadi te Has BolVe" was used in the movie "Love Aaj Kal". He also released a track titled Jagaa. He is the father of Pakistani singer Imran Shaukat.
Zarina Baloch
Was a Pakistani folk music singer and composer. She was also an actress, writer, teacher, political and social worker.Her recognitions include: the Shah Latif Award, the Waheed Murad Award, the Shah Sachal Sami Award, the Lal Shahbaz Award, the Sachal Award, the SGA Award, the SANA Award, the WSC Award, the Ram Panjwani Award, the PTV Award, the Sindhi Sadaeen Gad Award, theFaiz Ahmed Faiz Award and the Pride of Performance Award.
Inayat Hussain Bhatti
Was a Pakistani singer, actor, producer, director, script writer, social worker, columnist, religious scholar and a protagonist of the development of Punjabi language and literature.
Talib Hussain Dard
Is a Pakistani folk singer of Punjabi and Saraiki languages in Jhang, Punjab. Talib Dard had released many albums of His singing songs. He is known as the King of Jog singing.
Allan Fakir
Is a Pakistani folk singer is a one of the foremost exponents of sufi music in Pakistan. He is particularly known for his ecstatic style of performance marked with extreme devotional rhetoric and sufi dance singing. His peculiarly funny body language and distinctively pleasing facial expressions marked with a broad smile, were always amusing for his audience at live performances.Allan Fakir received the President's Pride of Performance award in 1980, the Shahbaz Award in 1987, the Shah Latif Award in 1992 and Kandhkot Award in 1993. Allan Fakir died on 4 July 2000.
Attaullah Khan Niazi Esakhelvi
Is a Pakistani Pride of Performance award-winning musician from Isakhel, Mianwali, Punjab.[1] He is traditionally considered a Seraiki artist, but most of his music albums are in either Punjabi or Urdu.
Pathanay Khan
Was a great Seraiki folk singer from Pakistan. He sang mostly Kafis or Ghazals , which were largely based on theSufi poetry of Khwaja Ghulam Farid and Shah Hussain. He was born in 1926 in the village Basti Tambu Wali, situated in the heart of the Thal Desert, several miles from Kot Addu (Punjab).
Muhammad Alam Lohar
Was a prominent Punjabi folk music singer of Pakistan.He died in 1979 in an accident.He recorded his first album at the age of 13 and has outsold all other singers in Pakistan, with 5,000 albums to his credit. Alam Lohar organized a full-fledged theatre with a complete orchestra.He also travelled several times to the United Kingdom at his own expense to perform for Pakistanis living overseas, who were delighted by his colourful clothes and thrilling voice, traditional chimta in hand.
Arif Lohar
Is a Pakistani folk singer. He usually sings with native musical instrument resembling tongs (called a 'chimta'). His folk music is representative of traditional folk heritage of the Punjab. He is the son of folk singer Alam Lohar
Reshama
Reshma has been one of the most popular folk singers of Pakistan, appearing on television in the 1960s, recording songs for both the Pakistani and Indian film industry, and performing at home and abroad. Whereever she goes, she mesmerizes the audience with her husky voice. Reshma lives very simply in Lahore.
POP Music
Pakistani pop music refers to popular music forms in Pakistan. Pakistani pop is a mixture of traditional Pakistani classical music and western influences of jazz, rock and roll, hip-hop and disco sung in various languages of Pakistan, including Urdu language. The popularity of music is based on the individual sales of a single, viewership of its music video or the singer's album chart positions.
Pakistani pop music is attributed to have given birth to the genre in the South Asian region with Ahmed Rushdi's song ‘Ko-Ko-Korina’ in 1966.Veteranslike Runa Laila started the pop industry in Pakistan while the fifteen-years old pop sensation Nazia with her brother Zohaib Hassan ushered the birth of pop music all over South Asia tailing on the success of her British endeavours.
From Rushdi's pop hits to songs sung by the Hassan siblings, to bands including Junoon, Vital Signs and Strings, the Pakistani pop industry has steadily spread throughout South Asia and today is the most popular genre in Pakistan and the neighbouring South Asian countries. Songs sung by Pakistani pop artists are a regular feature on soundtracks of most of the Bollywood movies.
The genre has always been accepted in the mainstream youth culture but hindrances came in the form of changing governments, radical Islamicisation, foreign influences and a stiff competition from neighbouring countries. Still, pop music thrived and survived with a steady growth. In was not until recent times that Pakistani pop music was to be admired throughout South Asia and the rest of the world.
Pakistani pop music is attributed to have given birth to the genre in the South Asian region with Ahmed Rushdi's song ‘Ko-Ko-Korina’ in 1966.Veteranslike Runa Laila started the pop industry in Pakistan while the fifteen-years old pop sensation Nazia with her brother Zohaib Hassan ushered the birth of pop music all over South Asia tailing on the success of her British endeavours.
From Rushdi's pop hits to songs sung by the Hassan siblings, to bands including Junoon, Vital Signs and Strings, the Pakistani pop industry has steadily spread throughout South Asia and today is the most popular genre in Pakistan and the neighbouring South Asian countries. Songs sung by Pakistani pop artists are a regular feature on soundtracks of most of the Bollywood movies.
The genre has always been accepted in the mainstream youth culture but hindrances came in the form of changing governments, radical Islamicisation, foreign influences and a stiff competition from neighbouring countries. Still, pop music thrived and survived with a steady growth. In was not until recent times that Pakistani pop music was to be admired throughout South Asia and the rest of the world.
Abrar-ul-Haq
Is a Pakistani pop, bhangra and folklegend singer. On his first album "Billo De Ghar" his name appears as simply "Abrar". His best-known work is the song "Billo De Ghar". Before becoming a singer, he was a geography teacher at the Aitchison College in Lahore.
Jawad Ahmad
Is a Pakistani singer. Jawad first captured Pakistan's attention as a person who called attention to the transcendental existence of God through the song '"Allah Meray Dil kay Andar" which most say showed a way to inner peace. The lyrical expression that he has used to portray his inclination towards Sufism bears traces of Ghalib and Faiz who are known to have emphasized on the same values so as to eradicate all barriers that hinder the establishment of a connection with God and differentiate amongst human beings by placing them into groupings of race and class
Sajjad Ali
is a Pakistani semi-classical, popsinger, film actor, director and producer. He is trained in classical singing."If I were to be born again, I'd like to be born as Sajjad Ali"
Annie
Is a Pakistani pop singer. Her parents moved to England when she was six months old. She grew up in East London, attended a girls' school, Plashet School and later moved to Essex with her parents.
Humera Arshad
She is a renowned Pakistani folk, pop, culture and ghazal singer who has been classically trained. Her albums are Chori Kach Di and Gal Sun Dholna. Humera says she used to accompany her mother to majalis for sooz khwani from an early age, where her vocal talent was noticed by many. The appreciation made her keen on pursuing music at a professional level. She was also lucky to have trained under the tutelage of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and has won numerous honors and awards for her musical achievements.
Atif Aslam
He is widely recognized in South Asia and has given several hit songs . He is best known for his powerful vocal belting technique.[In 2008, he was awarded the Tamgha-e-Imtiaz by the Government of Pakistan.
Fariha Pervez
Is one of the leading female singers of Pakistan. Fariha Pervez started her career with anchoring & acting from a very young age on PTV (Pakistan state tevlevision channel). She also co-hosted a popular children's music program "Aangan Aangan Taray". After the release of her debut Album. "Nice n Naughty", her song "Patang Baaz" (a.k.a Bo kata) became a super hit. her musical career took off and she there onwards decided to focus solely on singing.
Ali Haider
Is a former Pakistani singer and actor. He has had numerous hits in the early. Besides singing, he has acted in numerous TV serials on PTV He has a large fan following in Pakistan and Indiaand with South Asian expatriates around the world. After resignation from music in 2009, Haider has become a sana khawan, and has released 3 religious albums.
Haroon Rashid
Is a British-Pakistani pop singer, composer, musician and producer. He has sold millions of CDs and tapes worldwide and has performed at large venues such as the Wembley Arena.
Nazia Hassan
Was an iconic Pakistani pop singer. Her song "Aap Jaisa Koi" from the Indian film Qurbani (1980) made her a legend and pop icon in Pakistan and all of Southern Asia in the 1980s, where she is admired and loved even today, years after her death. Her debut album Disco Deewane (1981) also charted in fourteen countries worldwide and became the best-selling Asian pop record up until that time. Nazia Hassan, along with her brother Zohaib Hassan, went on to sell over 60 million records worldwide.
Hadiqa Kiani
Is a Pakistani singer-songwriter, and philanthropist. Kiani rose to fame in 1995 with her debut album Raaz. Kiani received instant fame and was nominated and won numerous awards in Pakistan as well as International awards. Since her debut, she has released five albums, all receiving similar fame. Kiani was named "Best Pop Female Singer" in Pakistan.
Ali Zafar
Is pop singer from Lahore, Pakistan.he is also known as the Prince of Pop, is a Pakistani musician, actor, painter and model, popular in Pakistan for his music. , Zafar worked as a model for several commercial advertisement besides acting in television. He worked in the Pakistani televisionserial Lunda-Bazar, Kanch Ke Par and in the teenage sitcom Kollege Jeans. He was also in the music video of Preeto sung by Abrar-ul-Haq.
Malkoo
Born as Mohammad Ashraf Malik in Sargodha, Pakistan is a pop, bhangra and folksinger. He is best known for the song "Kala Jora Pa", which was a hit in Pakistan.In 2004 he released his first album "Sochna Vi Na" and since then has released 10 further albums.Malkoo was inspired by Pakistani folk singer Mansoor Malangi.
Shehzad Roy
Is a singer and humanitarian from Karachi, Pakistan. With five hit albums under his belt. he is also the president and founder of Zindagi Trust, a non-profit charitable organization, that seeks to educate the underprivileged children of Pakistan.In June 2004, Roy was honored as one of the youngest ever recipient of the Tamgha-e-Imtiaz, which is one of the highest Civil Honors awarded in Pakistan for excellence in serving humanity. For his organization’s earthquake rehabilitation in Kashmir, he was awarded the Sitara-e-Eisaar. He was also selected to be a torch bearer for the 2008 Olympic Torch relay as the pride of Pakistan. Recently, Roy took the city of Chicago by storm when he was awarded the 2008 Patricia Blunt Koldyke Fellowship award for excellence in social entrepreneurship.
Rahim Shah
Is a leading Pakistani pop singer. He started from Peshawar, NWFP, and is currently based in Karachi, Pakistan. He sings in Pashto, Urdu and Punjabi.[1] He is an ethnic Pashtun.
Siege the band
“The name ‘SIEGE’ exactly portrays our vision which is to capture the music world with the help of the impeccable music sense we have.”The band was formed on the 23rd of May, 2003. Released their first video, Armaan, in dec 2006 (which topped the music charts for more than 12 weeks) and recently launched their second video, Faslay (still topping all the music charts). Siege is the first band of Pakistan that introduced percussions in the main stream. Siege is:Junaid (Lead Vocalist)Fahad ( Guitarist).
Junoon
Junoon was Pakistan's biggest band famous for combining traditional poetry and instruments with rock music. Azmat was the lead vocalist of the band. With Junoon, he toured extensively, doing two North American tours a year since 1992. He performed in Europe, the Middle East and China and at the European rock festival, Roskilde in June 2000. He left Junoon in 2005 to pursue a solo career.
Rock Music
Pakistani rock began with the arrival of American satellite television in the 1990s. The popular form of music quickly spread throughout the country and with that came the arrival of various rock bands. Bands Vital Signs and Junoon were regarded as the pioneers of Pakistani rock. Other bands such as Strings began in the mid 1990s and during the late 1990s underground bands were becoming a norm in cities across Pakistan. Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad witnessed an explosion of rock bands and concerts in 2000 as Pakistan began to liberalize under President Musharraf's "enlightened moderation" campaign.
Aaroh
was an alternative rock band from Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan, formed in 1998. The band was founded by lead guitarist Nabeel Nihal Chishty and vocalistFarooq Ahmed, who were joined by keyboardist Kamran Khan, bassist Khalid Khan and drummer Adnan Hussain.The band achieved fame with their exuberant live performances backed up with thought provoking lyrics, and also, their performance in the Pakistani rock scene in 2002, most notably at the Pepsi Battles of the bands, helped them leave a trail for themselves.
Call (Band)
Call is a rock band from Lahore, Pakistan, formed by Zulfiqar J. Khan, Danish J. Khan, Khurram J. Khan and Omer Pervaiz. In 1996, the band's guitarist,Omer Pervaiz left to concentrate on his solo project, Naqsh and the band bassist, Shahzad Hameed, left to pursuit his own solo project. Ahsan Fida Khan and Faisal Murtaza recruited their places.On October 20, 2001, Danish J. Khan, the band’s vocalist and lyricist, performed for the last time and later on left the band. Khurram Jabbar Khan moved to the United States, Zulfiqar J. Khan concentrated on his band Paradigm (which later became Entity Paradigm) while Ahsan and Faisal moved on to fulfill family obligations.
However, the band reformed in 2002 and after a few line-up changes, released their debut album, Jilawatan in late 2005.
Fuzön
is a Pakistani rock music group comprising three members. The name has been derived fromfusion as the former vocalist Shafqat Amanat Ali describes the band as a fusion of Indian classical music and modern rock music.Fuzon encompasses hybrid styles of exquisite melodies and everlasting pop/rock instrumentation, hence carving out a special niche for the threesome. The three seasoned collaborators of the band consider their debut album as a labor of love as well as a message of hope to all.
Jal (Band)
Is a pop rock band from Lahore, Punjab,Pakistan. The band originally consisted of song writer, vocalist and lead guitarist, Goher Mumtaz and vocalist, Atif Aslam. Founded in 2002, they first became popular playing in Lahore's underground music scene with the release of their song "Aadat", which was a massive hit in Pakistan topping all local music charts.
Josh
Is a Montreal-based Pakistani fusion band. Present members are "Rup" (Rupinder Magon) and "q" (Qurram Hussain). Their songs showcase both modern and traditional bhangra beats and music, but are strongly influenced by hip hop and rock music.
Atif Aslam
Is a Rock band from Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan, formed in 1990. The band is directed by founder, lead guitarist and songwriter, Salman Ahmad, who was soon joined by keyboardist Nusrat Hussain and vocalist Ali Azmat. Junoon is Pakistan's most successful band; the Q magazine regarded them as "One of the biggest bands in the world" and The New York Times called Junoon "the U2 of Pakistan".
Karavan
Is a rock band from Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan, formed in 1997. The band is founded by former Awaz lead guitarist Asad Ahmed with the help of his friend bassist Sameer Ahmed, who were soon joined by drummer Allan Smith and lead vocalist Najam Sheraz. Karavan are regarded as one of the most successful rock band in Pakistan. Since their inception, the group has released a collective total of five albums: four studio albums and one live album.
Noori
Is a rock band from Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan, formed in 1996. The band is directed by founder, lead guitarist and songwriter, Ali Noor, and his brother, Ali Hamza, who were soon joined by bassist Muhammad Ali Jafri and drummer Salman Albert. Noori is considered as one of the pioneering forces behind what is dubbed as the '21st Century Pop Revolution of Pakistan'.
Strings (The Band)
Are an internationally acclaimed pop rock band comprising two members fromKarachi, Sindh, Pakistan. The band was initially formed by four college students, Bilal Maqsood (vocals and guitars), Faisal Kapadia (vocals), Rafiq Wazir Ali (synthesizer) andKareem Bashir Bhoy (bass guitars) in 1988. In 1992, the quartet disbanded only to make a comeback with two of its members, Bilal and Faisal later in 2000. While the initial band was riding on the new wave of Pakistani pop music, the later formation ushered a new revival in the music industry of Pakistan.
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