Natural causes: Renowned noha khwan dies

KARACHI: Noha khwan Nasir Asghar of Shababul Momineen passed away on Sunday while reciting a noha mourning the martyrdom of Hazarat Ali (RA).

“He was a heart patient and had undergone a bypass surgery recently,” said Hassan Bali, son of Chacha Bali, a prominent figure in the group the deceased belonged to.

Asghar was the Sahib-e-Bihaj (vocalist) in the group, which was one of the most popular ones, and many of the most-performed nohas were recited by him as the lead, he said.



He added that Shababul Momineen was formed in the early 1990s, however, it was later split into groups and one of them was headed by Asghar. Bali said Asghar experienced chest pains while reciting a noha in an assembly outside Bara Imambargah in Kharadar. “His hand was over his chest and he fainted. People around rushed him to a hospital, however, he died on the way.”

His funeral was held in Kharadar on Monday.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 28^th, 2016.