Legendary Sindhi singer Rubina Qureshi passes away

KARACHI, Jul 13,2022 – The legendary classical Sindhi singer, Rubina Qureshi has passed away at her Karachi’s residence on Wednesday morning. She was winner of Presidential Pride of Performance Award

The 81-year-old singer — known as ‘Nightingale of Sindh’ — was wife of well-known film actor Mustafa Qureshi.

The singer, popularly known as “Nightingale of Sindh”, has been suffering from cancer for the last two years.

The singer, who rose to prominence in Sindhi music from Radio Pakistan in the 1960s, had remained under treatment in Agha Khan Hospital since last two years.

She breathed her last at her residence in Karachi, where she had been in a coma for the last two months, family sources confirmed.

Rubina Qureshi has survived her husband film star Mustafa Qureshi, a son, film actor Aamir Qureshi and daughter to mourn her death.

Due to her deteriorated health condition, Rubina Qureshi could not even go to the Governor’s House on March 23 to receive her Presidential Pride of Performance Award which was received by her husband, well-known actor Mustafa Qureshi.

A leading classical Sindhi singer of 1960s, Rubina Qureshi was rushed to the hospital on Friday for treatment of cancer.

She was born on 19 October 1940 in Saddar, Hyderabad. Rubina Qureshi’s original name was Ayesha Shaikh. Her elder brother Abdul Ghafoor Sheikh was also a singer, but Rubina Qureshi’s passion for singing was born in the school environment.

During her primary school studies, Rubina had a kind and intelligent teacher like Dadi Leelan Wati, who trained her, as a result of which she sang hymns, naats as well as national songs and participated in plays.

In August 1955, the foundation of Radio Pakistan Hyderabad was laid, and all the schools and colleges of Hyderabad were sent letters by the radio station to send talented students to radio. When Rubina Qureshi went to Radio Pakistan Hyderabad, she was studying in the ninth grade. Famous producer M. B (Muhammad Bakhsh) Ansari and music director Master Muhammad Ibrahim took her audition and made her sing in the chorus along with other artistes. After some time, Rubina Qureshi sang solo.

She sang the lyrics of Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai and Sachal Sarmast and many folk songs.

Rubina Qureshi sang many songs in the music composed by Master Mohammad Ibrahim, Ustad Mohammad Juman, Ustad Nazar Hussain.

She also sang songs for Sindhi films Sasai Panhoon, Ghonghat Lah Kunwar.

Rubina Qureshi got married to Mustafa Qureshi in 1970. At that time, Mustafa Qureshi was the producer of Radio Pakistan. In that year (1970), Ghulam Mustafa Qureshi shifted to Lahore with his wife to join film industry.

Rubina Qureshi did masters in Muslim history from Sindh University in 1974.

In 1968/1967, she was also a secondary teacher in the school of Salam, Hyderabad.

Although Rubina Qureshi learned from Master Muhammad Ibrahim and Ustad Muhammad Juman, she received regular training from Ustad Chhoty Ghulam Ali in Lahore.

She has sung in Urdu, Sindhi, Saraiki, Balochi, Pashto, Punjabi and Bengali. Rubina Qureshi has gained recognition by exhibiting her art in Indonesia, China, Turkey, India, UK and USA.