Pakistani pop icon Nazia Hassan is being remembered on her 26th death anniversary, with her music and social work continuing to hold a place in the country’s cultural history.
Born in Karachi, Nazia Hassan rose to fame at the age of 15 with 'Aap Jaisa Koi', a song that changed the course of pop music in South Asia. In 1981, she released Disco Deewane with her brother Zohaib Hassan, taking her music beyond Pakistan’s borders.
Albums including 'Boom Boom', 'Young Tarang' and 'Hotline' made Nazia and Zohaib one of the most memorable brother-and-sister duos in Pakistani pop music.
Nazia was not only a singer. She was also a lawyer and social worker. In 1991, she became a UNICEF cultural ambassador.
She used her abilities to support social causes and worked for children, young people and women in distress living in underprivileged areas of Karachi.
Her rise to fame was cut short when she died of cancer in London on 13 August 2000, aged 35.
Her voice fell silent, but Nazia Hassan remains a lasting name in Pakistani music and is still remembered around the world as the 'Queen of Pop'.
