Lahore's artist community comes together for colleague suffering from cancer

Actors, singers across the city are going from door to door seeking help for Heer Singhar

LAHORE: Artists across Lahore have come together to demand financial support for Heer Singhar – a folk singer and theatre actor suffering from advanced breast cancer. They are demanding the Government of Punjab to provide free medical treatment and general financial assistance to both Heer and her family.

Theatre bigwigs such as Megha, Shiba Butt, Rashad Mahmood and singer Nasir Beraj Mahdi have also taken out the time to further Heer’s cause and issued a statement saying that she needs immediate attention and that the artist community is united over the matter.

PHOTO:FILE

Information and Culture Ministers Samsam Bukhari met with the artists recently and assured them that he will meet with the Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar soon and discuss the idea of giving the struggling singer some financial support.

Heer was diagnosed with breast cancer last year. Prior to that, she had been a frequent performer at private concerts and parties across Punjab and also worked in theatre alongside that. But she is no longer able to work due to her illness. The starlet has also separated from her husband after being diagnosed and the latter has allegedly usurped her house from her. Heer currently resides in a small rental in the city.

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“I have five children and I’m the only source of income in the house,” she told The Express Tribune. "We are living in a rented house and the children are not going school as I can’t pay the fees. We are poor and hungry and request the government to please help us out.”

Heer is lucky to have so much support from her contemporaries though. “Heer Singhar is an asset of Pakistan and her illness is a huge loss to theatre. That’s why, we have appealed to the Information and Culture Minister to help her out and he has assured us that he will,” Megha shared. “Heer is a brave lady and although she is ill, she is working hard and also dealing with her ex-husband.”

PHOTO:FILE

Nasir revealed that he personally went to the minister to tell him about Heer’s condition. “He inquired about her health on the phone and promised us that the government will do its best to support her treatment. We even submitted an application for permanent assistance for her,” he shared. “The artist community has been fighting for Heer since last year and we’re finally getting closer. She is adored in the villages of Punjab and all of her fans are concerned about her health.”

According to Shiba, a number of artists have previously passed away due to negligence from the government. “This time, it’s a beautiful young artist at their mercy. So, we have all decided to know on every door to help her,” she said. “We are also running a social media campaign to get the word out.”

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