Sufi qawwal Amjad Sabri shot dead in Pakistan

Karachi, June 22

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Amjad Sabri, one of Pakistan’s finest Sufi qawwals best known for his soul-stirring renditions of mystic poetry, was today killed by unidentified gunmen in a targeted terror attack here.

Sabri, 45, and an associate were travelling in a car in Karachi’s congested Liquat-abad 10 area when two unidentified motorcycle-borne gunmen fired at them. The two were rushed to hospital, where both died.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility but a senior police official said “it was a targeted killing and an act of terrorism”. Sabri was apparently heading for the studio of a private television channel when he was attacked.   

Amjad Sabri was the son of renowned qawwal Ghulam Farid Sabri, whose family, originally from Rohtak, is famous in the subcontinent for their contribution to this Sufi art and mystic poetry. Some of the most memorable and famous qawwalis are ‘Bhar Do Jholi Meri’, ‘Tajdar-i-Haram’ and ‘Mera Koi Nahin Hai Teray Siwa’.

Sabri, who travelled widely to Europe and USA for his concerts, was known as the “rockstar” of qawwali due to his modern style of rendition.

Fakhre Alam, chairman of the Sindh Censor Board, claimed that Sabri had submitted an application for security, but the home department did not act on it.   

His killing comes just two days after the son of the Sindh High Court Chief Justice was kidnapped. 

The spokesman for the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insasaf party, Naeem ul Haq, called for those involved in heinous crimes to be given capital punishment. “No one is safe in Karachi. The so-called clean-up operation over the last two years is a total failure.”        

In 2014, the Islamabad High Court had issued a notice in a blasphemy case to two  TV channels for playing of a qawwali in a show where a mock wedding had a qawwali sung by Sabri. — PTI