Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Masses honour slain Sabri

SUNNI AND SHI’ITE MOURNERS UNITED AT FUNERAL OF SUFI MUSICIAN

THOUSANDS of Pakistanis last Thursday (23) thronged the streets of Karachi to attend the funeral of one of the country’s


best-knownSufi musicians, who was gunned down a day earlier in what police called an “act of terror”.

The funeral prayers for Amjad Sabri, which were held on the city’s major

Ibn-e-Sinathorough- fare, brought together large numbers of both Sunni and Shi’ite Muslims, with many praising his devotional music, humble lifestyle and charity work.

He was shot dead by two gun- men riding a motorcycle last Wednesday (22) as he drove his car to a TV studio where he was due to perform for a Ramadan show. Another male relative, Saleem Sabri, was critically injured in the attack.

Senior police official Muqaddas Haider called the killing an “act of terror” without naming possible suspects.

Sabri, the son of another legendary Qawwali singer, Ghulam Farid Sabri, who died in 1994, was a fixture on national television and regularly performed on a morning show during the holy Muslim month of Ramadan.

In May 2014 he was asked by a court to respond to blasphemy charges following the broadcast of a controversial

song-and-dance routine that was set to a Qawwali piece about the wed- ding of the Prophet Mohammed’s daughter to his cousin.

Dozens of police and para- military Rangers on Thursday guarded the funeral procession winding its way down the road, as a sea of mourners, some wearing black armbands, others in coloured turbans that signified their sects, surrounded the ambulance carrying Sabri’s body to its resting place.

Many crowded to touch the ambulance, a gesture of rever- ence for the deceased.

Shops and businesses in the Liaquatabad and Nazimbad areas shut down for the day.

One mourner, Shaheen Iqbal, said she had asked Sabri for help just days earlier. “He gave me rations for Ramadan and some money. He also promised to help me get a small apartment,” she said, tearfully.

Mohammad Farooq Khan, a

36-year-oldwho contracted polio as a child, said he had walked 12km from the city’s north on his crutches to attend the sing- er’s last rites.

Some observers have said that Sabri may have been assassinated because he was a high- profile Sufi, a mystic Islamic order that believes in living saints, worships through music and is viewed as heretical by some hardline groups, including the Taliban.

A man claiming to belong to a

littleknownfaction of the Pakistani Taliban said his group took responsibility for the attack in a phone call last Wednesday (22), though it was not possible to verify the claim and a senior official said police were still investigating. (AFP)

More For You

uk-india-defence-ties

The dialogue was co-chaired by India’s defence secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh and the UK’s permanent secretary David Williams. (Photo: X/@UKDefenceIndia)

India, UK review defence ties, agree to boost collaboration

INDIA and the United Kingdom reviewed their defence relationship at the 24th Defence Consultative Group meeting held in London this week, with a focus on strengthening defence industry collaboration and supporting the 'Make in India' initiative.

The dialogue was co-chaired by India’s defence secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh and the UK’s permanent secretary David Williams. Both sides discussed ways to deepen bilateral defence cooperation.

Keep ReadingShow less
Bradford drivers to keep decals despite safety concerns

Passengers prefer taxis with clear company and licensing signs

Bradford drivers to keep decals despite safety concerns

PRIVATE hire drivers in Bradford will still be required to display decals on the side of their cars, despite claims that they make them targets of attacks.

Dozens of drivers piled into Bradford City Hall last Thursday (10) to hear councillors discuss plans to make changes to its taxi licensing conditions.

Keep ReadingShow less
Sunak rewards allies with honours in farewell list
Theresa Villiers
Theresa Villiers

Sunak rewards allies with honours in farewell list

FORMER prime minister Rishi Sunak rewarded his former cabinet colleagues, Downing Street aides and advisers in his resignation honours list released by the government last Friday (11).

The former housing secretary Michael Gove and former transport secretary Mark Harper were among seven allies elevated with life peerages, while former ministers Andrew Mitchell and Theresa Villiers were conferred with Knight and Dame Commander honours, respectively.

Keep ReadingShow less
JD-Usha-Vance-Getty

Vance’s visit comes amid growing global concerns over president Donald Trump’s tariff policy. (Photo: Getty Images)

JD Vance and wife Usha to visit India from April 21 to 24; to meet Modi

US VICE PRESIDENT JD Vance and his wife Usha will visit India from April 21 to 24. During the visit, Vance will meet prime minister Narendra Modi. The two leaders are expected to discuss the proposed bilateral trade agreement and ways to strengthen India-US ties.

India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced the visit on Wednesday. Vance's office also released a separate statement confirming the trip.

Keep ReadingShow less
Bangladeshi men duped into fighting for Russia, say families

Russia is said to be recruiting south Asians to replenish its war ranks

Bangladeshi men duped into fighting for Russia, say families

YOUNG Bangladeshi men desperate for work have alleged they were tricked into fighting for Russia against Ukraine, with the reported death of a 22-year-old triggering anxious calls from relatives.

Bangladesh’s embassy in Moscow said around a dozen families have contacted them seeking to bring back their sons they allege were duped into joining the Russian army.

Keep ReadingShow less