Are Mehdi Hassan's sons seeking help from across the border?

LAHORE: It has been five years since Shehenshah-e-Ghazal Mehdi Hassan passed away, leaving a void no other could fill.

Recently, as the nation remembers Hassan on his fifth death anniversary, it was rumoured that Hassan's sons are seeking help from across the border to help the family build a mausoleum, one that the Pakistani government had pledged to construct in the late maestro's honour.



According to a report published in the Hindustan Times, Arif Mehdi, one of Hassan's six sons requested the Indian government to aid them and was quoted, "After Abba’s demise, the government had promised to build a library and mausoleum in his memory. Last week, we observed his fifth death anniversary and we've heard nothing about building something in his honour."

Adding insult to injury, he further added, “We have run out of patience and therefore we request the Indian government to help us build a mausoleum in Karachi as Hassan saab enjoyed a huge fan following across the border.”

Arif also made sure to spread awareness and expose the fact that his father’s grave is in an abysmal condition. “Only fencing work was done around the grave and that too after our tireless efforts. There is a lot of filth and sewage water there. Kids play cricket and people rear their goats in the area. It has also become a hub for anti-social elements which is a matter of concern,” he added.

You were our star Mehdi Hassan

When asked by The Express Tribune, Arif asserted that he, indeed, is seeking help from the Indian government. "My father was a great singer and strived a lot for this country, but it is painful that after his passing, we cannot construct his mausoleum - and it has been five long years," he said. "The Pakistani government and the current government of PPP also promised us that a library and mausoleum at the grave of our father will be constructed but it is tragic that today, his grave is in the worst of conditions," he revealed.

"I wished and hoped that our government would have looked into the matter, but now that they are not doing so, I had to ask the Indian government for their assistance and they have readily agreed to aid us," confirmed Arif.

However, another one of Hassan's sons Sajjad Mehdi, too, shed light on the matter, claiming that the family has severed ties with Arif over false claims. "We are not on speaking terms; most of the family has already cut off ties with Arif," reiterated Sajjad. "He is earning a bad name for himself, the whole family and the nation by this shallow act. Arif has been seeking help from every other person in the name of our father," he confessed.



The late ghazal maestro was born in India and after the Indo-Pak partition, he migrated to Pakistan. He spent his whole life in Pakistan from then on, and is known for his unparalleled command over classical music and singing the sweetest melodies. The Ranjish Hi Sahi singer is still considered to be the most influential figure in the world of ghazal.

"We visited India with our father in 1971, when several times the Indian government offered all kinds of support and help but our family and father always rejected them. We, as a family, still reject any Indian support for the construction of my father's grave as this country has given us a lot, including tremendous honour," said Sajjad. "Our elders in the family have already refused to mend relations with Arif as he was already robbing people of tens of thousands of rupees in the name of our father while he was still alive," concluded a disappointed Sajjad.

Considered to be one of the most successful ghazal singers of Pakistan, Hassan was trained in classical music by his father Ustad Azeem Khan and his uncle Ustad Ismail Khan who were both well respected classical musicians.

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