PESHAWAR: Pashto folk singer Kamal Mahsud who died in Islamabad on Thursday is being mourned by his fans and musicians across Frontier.
He had suffered injuries due to gas leakage in his room and was admitted to a hospital in Islamabad three days ago. His wife had gone for a wedding and he was alone at home in the federal capital when the incident happened. He was laid to rest in Islamabad far away from his native South Waziristan, from where every family was displaced due to an ongoing military operation that started on October 17 last year.
Hailing from Karama area in South Waziristan, Kamal had settled in Islamabad after abandoning his village in 2005 following threats from the militants. Besides Pashto, he also sang Urdu and Seraiki folk songs. He performed at concerts both in Pakistan and abroad. He was founding president of Waziristan Arts Council.
Some of his songs like Tum Chalay Aawo, Da Ghroona Ghroona Waziristan got popularity among music lovers. An album of his songs for peace was distributed free by the Inter-Services Public Relations in South Waziristan. The singer later pointed out that his picture wasn’t there on the album but everyone recognized his voice and the threat to his life increased.
Even after shifting to Islamabad, Kamal Mahsud was not feeling secured and had requested police for providing him protection. He claimed to have received a threatening letter warning him to quit singing.
