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Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’s Lost Album to Release After 34 Years

Nusrat

Peter Gabriel’s Real World Records will release a new album of unheard recordings by legendary qawwal Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan on September 20, over 27 years after his death.

Discovered in the label’s tape archives, the ‘lost’ album, Chain of Light, features four traditional qawwali tracks and captures Nusrat at the height of his vocal prowess.

Recorded at Real World Studios in April 1990 with his eight-member party of singers and musicians, it includes one previously unheard track. This session took place during the same period he worked on Mustt Mustt, his seminal crossover album with Canadian producer Michael Brook.

The Legacy of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan

Over the course of his musical career, NFAK became a cultural icon whose list of esteemed fans extended well into the realm of western rock and pop.

The late Jeff Buckley famously said of the singer “He’s my Elvis”. Nusrat also counted amongst his fans The Rolling Stones, Madonna, Michael Jackson, and Pearl Jam front man Eddie Vedder. Having a six-octave vocal range, his voice also appeared on the soundtrack of movies by Hollywood directors Martin Scorsese, Oliver Stone and Tim Robbins.

Nusrat’s relationship with Peter Gabriel and Real World Records began after his watershed performance at the 1985 WOMAD festival, which was the first time he performed to a predominantly western audience.

Shortly after that, he was signed to the label and his international profile rose through a collaboration on Gabriel’s 1989 album Passion, music from which featured in the film adaptation of The Last Temptation of Christ.

“I’ve had the privilege to work with a tonne of different musicians from all over the world in my time, but perhaps the greatest singer of them all was Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan,” said Gabriel.

“What he could do and make you feel with his voice was quite extraordinary and we were very proud to have played a role in getting him to a much wider global audience. It was a real delight when we found out this tape had been in our library. This album really shows him at his peak. It’s a wonderful record.”

Buried deep in a warehouse storage space at Real World Studios and unearthed whilst the label was relocating its archive in 2021, the April 1990 tape recording that comprises Chain of Light finds Nusrat at a crossroads, on the cusp of global greatness.

Carefully restored from the original analogue tapes, this lost album of traditional qawwali includes a pristine recording of the much-loved classic Ya Allah Ya Rehman, as well the only known performance of Ya Gaus Ya Meeran.

“[The year] 1990 was a key point in Nusrat’s career, it was the beginning of him crossing over into a western audience,” Nusrat’s longtime international manager, Rashid Ahmed-Din, said.

“Everything just clicked. He always wanted to experiment and not be limited to one sound and these tracks express that movement beyond.”

Producer Michael Brook praised the recordings, stating, “There is an amazing clarity to these performances. They are more harmonically adventurous than the other songs Nusrat was recording at the time, and the whole group is firing on all cylinders.”

Fans will be thrilled to learn that a definitive documentary film on Nusrat’s life is in the making. Islamabad-based Saiyna Bashir Studios plans to release their biopic, Ustad, at the end of 2025.

Earlier this year, Saiyna Bashir Studios received a grant from the British Council to support Real World Records in promoting the new album.

Chain of Light will be released by Real World Records on September 20 and will be available for pre-order in various formats, with support from the British Council.

Also Read: Hadiqa Kiani’s ‘Jani Door Gaye’ Honors Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan

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Humaira Asghar Case: Shocking Details About Her Bank Accounts, Credit Cards, And CNIC Revealed

Humaira Asghar’s tragic and untimely death has left the entire nation in shock and grief. People across Pakistan are closely following the case and demanding answers about the cause of her sudden and silent passing. As a high-profile and sensitive case, the police continue to share new findings almost daily. Today, they revealed several important new details, raising hopes for a fair and transparent investigation.

According to the latest details shared by the police, Humaira Asghar carried two CNIC cards. One of them had been tampered with and showed a different date of birth. The tampered CNIC listed her birthdate as 10 October 1997, while the original one showed 10 October 1983. Humaira Asghar used the tampered CNIC for her showbiz activities.

The police revealed that Humaira Asghar’s personal bank account held Rs. 398,000.

Humaira Asghar’s stylist, Danish Maqsood, said he last contacted her on 2nd October to discuss and get approval for their photoshoot. Danish said, “We last contacted her after posting her photoshoot on our social media. When we tried to call her, the phone kept ringing but no one picked it up. Her last seen date was 7th October, but one thing I found quite strange was that her last seen and display picture disappeared after that. Later, we shared a post regarding her being missing. No one from the industry reached out, except Rabya Kulsoom, who asked about her. I felt that, somehow, she was being boycotted in the industry. No one was offering her work, and some people were even unhappy with me for working with her. After my shoot, I spoke to her—she seemed quite happy. I can’t share her voice notes because they were personal, but I can show the text messages.”

 

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Ali Abbas Opens Up on Healing Rift with Father Waseem Abbas

Ali Abbas

Ali Abbas recently opened up about how he coped with his father Waseem Abbas’s second marriage to co-star Saba Hamid. Appearing on Excuse Me with Ahmad Ali Butt, Ali spoke about the anger he felt and the challenges of caring for his siblings during a difficult time in his childhood.

“When my father remarried, our bond broke,” Ali said. “I was around eleven or twelve and felt deeply upset.” As the eldest sibling, Ali stepped into a parental role, taking care of his two sisters and younger brother. “I knew my father would no longer have time for us, and my mother was already battling depression,” he added.

Waseem Abbas married actor Saba Hamid in 1993, who was divorced and had two children, Meesha and Faris Shafi. At the time, Ali feared the marriage would shift his father’s focus entirely to his new family.

Despite his resentment, Ali chose to act with maturity. “I’ve always tried to be part of the solution, not the problem,” he said. “I had to be there for my siblings. Though I developed a rift with my father, I later realised he was also a victim—caught in the middle, suffering in silence.”

Ali reflected on how men of his father’s generation rarely shared their emotions. “They kept their problems to themselves. That made it hard for us to understand them.”

Eventually, Ali chose empathy over anger. “My father had already married. It was done. But he was the one without peace. As his son, the least I could do was listen.”

Quoting something he had read, Ali said, “When someone is struggling, just let them talk. You can’t fix everything, but listening lightens their burden.” By opening up communication, Ali and his father began to rebuild their relationship. “He started sharing his problems with me,” Ali said. “Since then, we’ve developed a bond.”

Also Read: Unveiling Pain: Nimra Mehra Shares Heartbreak of Losing Parents

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Anupam Kher Breaks Silence on Sardaar Ji 3 Controversy

Anupam Kher

Diljit Dosanjh’s film Sardaar Ji 3, co-starring Pakistani actress Hania Aamir, did not receive clearance for release in India and sparked backlash amid ongoing India-Pakistan tensions. Veteran actor Anupam Kher, currently promoting his directorial debut Tanvi The Great, addressed the controversy and said he wouldn’t have made the same choice as Diljit.

In an interview, Anupam acknowledged Diljit’s right to freedom of expression for the sake of art, but clarified that he personally would not extend that right if it meant compromising national sentiment. Drawing a personal analogy, he said, “If someone slapped my father but sang beautifully, I still wouldn’t invite them to my home to perform.”

Anupam added, “I apply the same rules to my country as I do to my home. I’m not noble enough to watch my family suffer in the name of art.” He emphasized that while he won’t retaliate with hate, he also won’t offer acceptance to those who, in his view, disrespect the country.

Despite the ban in India, Sardaar Ji 3 released internationally on June 27, including in Pakistan and other regions.

Also Read: “I Stand Firmly with Diljit”: Naseeruddin Shah Backs Sardaar Ji 3

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