Maqbool Ahmed Sabri's body reaches Karachi

Sabri will be buried in Paposh Nagar graveyard after funeral prayers.

KARACHI: The body of renowned qawwal Maqbool Ahmed Sabri reached Karachi from South Africa on Saturday, Express 24/7 reported.

Sabri's nephew received the body at Karachi Airport where people in a large number were present to catch a glimpse of the famous qawwal.

After his funeral prayers, Sabri will be buried in Paposh Nagar graveyard.

Sabri, 60, passed away in Cape Town, South Africa on Wednesday due to a cardiac arrest.

The legendary qawwal, who was being treated in a hospital in South Africa for two months, had been suffering from heart problems and diabetes. He leaves behind his widow, three daughters and a son.

Born in 1941 to a lower-income class family in Kalyana, India, Sabri migrated to Karachi with his family and settled in Liaquatabad. He received his qawwali and music training at an early age and recorded his first qawwali at the age of 17 in 1958 with his elder brother Ghulam Fareed Sabri and then formed a group called Sabri Brothers.

In 1970, he was awarded the Pride of Performance Award. His first international performance followed soon after, when in 1975, he performed in New York. Some of his most important qawwalis include ‘Bhar do jholi’ and ‘Mera koi nahin hai tere siwa’.