Reminiscing Nazia
By Umar Cheema

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As far as Pakistanis’ music exposure was concerned, it was the best of times and the worst of times. General Zia-ul-Haq’s 'Islamization' of the country during the 80s became an obstacle for music lovers, whether they were the audience or the performers. Almost all musical shows on TV that involved women were banned. The mullahs had a serious problem with a brother and sister dancing together on screen. Nazia’s first video that aired on TV in the early 80s was shot waist up so the audience couldn’t see her dancing feet.

In 1988, General Zia was killed in a plane crash. Following the shock, the country went quickly into a recovery mode. The new government had the responsibility of lifting the morale of millions of people. Many things changed and many things created opportunities for a change. The music industry lifted itself up as well and made an entry back into people’s houses. The Nazia and Zoheb phenomenon paved the road for new and young talents all over the country.

Nazia and Zoheb Hassan (Image from PakistaniMusic.com)

By the early 1990’s, Pakistan experienced a new wave of young and hip bands. Music Channel Charts became one of the most popular shows in Pakistan’s music history. People would actually schedule their evenings around the show time. It was a great musical era. My sister and I used to sit in front of the TV and watch the weekly song ranking and share our excitement or complaints depending on which songs climbed up the charts. This was around the time when our generation was introduced to bands like Vital Signs, Arid Zone, Collage, Fringe Benefits, Milestones, Strings, Sequencers, Yatagaan and Junoon. This was the result of the revolution that Nazia and Zoheb brought about in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.

Nazia Hassan, the South Asian queen of pop, was a woman of many talents. She had mentioned a number of times that music was simply her hobby. She was extremely active in social work and that’s what she liked doing best. She received her bachelors in Business Administration and Economics at the Richmond American University in London. In 1991 she became an intern in the Women’s International Leadership program at the United Nations. Later on she went on to work for United Nation’s office of Political and Security Council Affairs. Using her celebrity status in Pakistan, she created an organization called BAN (Battle against Narcotics) in Karachi to help fight the drugs war. She and her brother Zoheb dedicated their album ‘Camera Camera’ to BAN and hoped to create drug abuse awareness among the Pakistani youths.

Nazia also actively participated in organizations such as The Voice of Women, Business and Professional Women, Inner Wheel Club for Disabled Children in India and NYCP (National Youth Council of Pakistan). She created and participated in many child welfare programs in Pakistan and was involved in social issues ranging from women’s issues to illiteracy among the youth. She tried to use her music to stir up people’s emotions against the use of drugs. The song ‘Nasha na karna’ (Don’t do drugs) was an example of the message Nazia and Zoheb were sending out. Nazia Hassan also created a mobile clinic in Lyari, one of the poorest areas in Karachi.

Nazia was married in 1995 and had a baby boy two years later. Unfortunately the queen of pop couldn’t capture the same level of success in her marriage she had in the musical realm. The woman who brought smiles on the faces of millions couldn’t find joy in her love life. The couple started having marital problems very early on in their lives. She continued to try to maintain a balance in her life between her social work and her life at home until another bombshell dropped onto her life. She was diagnosed with lung cancer. Her family started her treatment right away and she fought her battle against cancer as hard as she could. The pop diva, who conquered the hearts of millions, finally lost her battle against cancer.
On August 13th, 2000 Nazia Hassan died of lung cancer in a London hospital. South Asia stood still in disbelief. Millions mourned and cried for her. The person who had touched so many lives with her music laid lifeless on a hospital bed. It was a loss that cannot be described in words. Nazia’s family received millions of notes from fans all over the world. It was a sad ending to a remarkable story of a young woman who stumbled into an unknown adventure and reached the top while leaving her footsteps for others to follow. The year 2000 will be remembered as the year that brought an end to the Nazia Hassan story; that’s when Pakistan lost its favorite daughter.

Nazia’s parents Basir and Muniza created the Nazia Hassan Foundation as a continuation of their daughter’s life long efforts to make this world a better place for everyone. The foundation’s main goal is to recognize and encourage efforts of those who put the lives of others before their own and try to help bring a positive change in this world. Special awards are also given to individuals who exhibit and achieve intellectual and social goals as well as a desire to further these causes. The people of Pakistan will not forget Nazia and her work. She was posthumously awarded the ‘Pride of Performance’ medal by the president of Pakistan General Parvez Musharraf.

It is 2004 and as I write the final words of this article, I picture Nazia once again in her white shirt and blue jeans dancing away to the tune of ‘App jaisa koi meri zindagi mei aai, to baat bun jai’ on the silver screen. The song translates loosely into English as ‘If someone like you comes into my life, it would feel wonderful.’ Well Nazia, you came into our lives and our hearts, and it felt wonderful. We miss you.

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