Pakistan’s Sufi queen Abida Parveen said she will perform a concert in Bombay to boost peace efforts between India and Pakistan.
“Music knows no boundaries,” said Parveen, known for her musical renderings of Urdu poets such as Aamir Khusro, Kabeer and Bulesha.
“I’m happy I will be performing in this city for the first time and pass on the message of peace to my Indian brothers and sisters.”
“If a person stands on the border of India and sings, then no way his voice can be stopped from travelling into Pakistan.”
A number of Bollywood and music stars have been encouraging peace efforts through organising concerts and shows in Pakistan while many Pakistani actors are starring in Bollywood films.
Late last year, Bollywood star Aamir Khan auctioned the cricket bat from his Oscar-nominated film “Lagaan” (tax) to raise funds for former Pakistani cricketer Imran Khan’s cancer hospital.
“Music is all about love and spreading peace,” said Parveen.
The proceeds of her show will go to assist Bombay’s vast slum population.
Born in 1954 to a deeply devout family with close links to the shrines of Sindh and Punjabi Sufi saints, Parveen got her musical training from her father, Ustad Ghulam Haider.
Later she trained under famed Indian vocalist Ustad Salamat Ali Khan.