Mehdi Hasan’s son looks to India, creating rift in family

Says Pakistan govt has yet to fulfill pledge for constructing tomb and library

LAHORE: A son of Shahanshah-e-Ghazal Mehdi Hasan has approached the Indian government, seeking aid for the construction of his father’s mausoleum, in a move that has created a rift in the family.

Arif Mehdi, one of the ghazal legend’s six sons, said it was painful to see that after five years of his demise, the government had shown no interest in constructing a mausoleum for Mehdi Hasan.

“My father was a great singer who did a lot for this country,” he said, adding that the federal government and the Sindh government had promised to construct his mausoleum and a library in his name, but nothing had been done as yet.



“I wanted our government do this work but since it has not done anything I’m left with no other option but to ask others for help,” Arif told The Express Tribune.

Arif’s plea to the Indian government has not gone down well even with his family which criticised him for earning a bad name for the whole family as well as the nation.

In his reaction, another son Sajjad Mehdi said he had visited India along with his father several times. He added that the Indian government had offered support to his father, but he rejected it.

“We still reject any Indian support for the construction of my father’s mausoleum as this country gave us a lot, including honour,” he said, adding that the elders in the family were already boycotting Arif.

Mehdi Hasan’s fifth death anniversary was observed only this month with thousands of fans paying tribute to the ghazal legend.

Born in the undivided sub-continent, Mehdi Hassan had migrated to Pakistan post-independence after which he spent his entire life here.