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Abrar-ul-Haq
ابرار الحق
Abrar-ul-Haq in 2018
Born	(1969-07-21) 21 July 1969 (age 55) Faisalabad, Punjab, Pakistan
Alma mater	Sir Syed College Quaid-i-Azam University
Occupations	Singer-songwriter Philanthropist Politician
Notable work	Sughra Shafi Medical Hospital Complex Sahara Medical College
Office	Founder/Chairman Sahara for Life Trust
Children	4
Awards	Lux Style Awards PTV Awards
Honours	Tamgha-e-Imtiaz (2005) Sitara-e-Eisaar (2006)
Musical career
Genres	Pop Bhangra Punjabi Music
Years active	1995–present
Labels	Sound Master Moviebox Record TP Gold Fire Records Kali Denali Music Beyond Records Coke Studio
Musical artist
Website	saharaforlife.org

Abrar-ul-Haq (Punjabi: ابرار الحق) is a Pakistani singer-songwriter, philanthropist, and a politician.

His debut 1995 album Billo De Ghar sold over 40.3 million albums worldwide, which made him a household name and granted him the title of "King of Pakistani pop".

Abrar-ul-Haq is the founder and chairman of Sahara for Life Trust, a private organization that has been providing health services to the people of Narowal and surrounding areas since 1998. He was Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's candidate for the seat of National Assembly from constituency NA-78 (Narowal-II) in the 2018 Pakistani general election.

Early life and education

Abrar-ul-Haq was born in Faisalabad, Punjab to a civil servant father, and is the youngest among eight siblings. He belongs to Punjabi Jat family of the Kahlon clan and his elder brother Maj (r) Israr-ul-Haq Kahlon is an active politician in Narowal.

He was initially educated at the Junior Model School, Gujrat later graduating from the Sir Syed College, Rawalpindi before getting his Master's degree in social sciences from the Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad.

Academic career

Abrar-ul-Haq served as a teacher in Aitchison College, Lahore for a brief period of time but quit the faculty when he opted for a music career.

Music career

His first album as singer was Billo De Ghar, which was released in 1995.

Controversies

Abrar-ul-Haq's songs have been a subject of controversy in Pakistan. After the release of the hit song Billo De Ghar in 1995, Urdu newspapers began quoting Islamic scholars of Lahore who were of the opinion that the song was describing a man falling in love with a prostitute and wanting to marry her. Upon the formation of Nawaz Sharif's PML-N majority government after the 1997 election, the song was banned from state-owned TV and radio channels.

In the early 2000s, his song Nach Punjaban was met with opposition from those who thought the casual use of the word Punjaban was a demeaning way to address Punjabi women, eventually resulting in Abrar-ul-Haq re-recording a version of the song using the word Majajan instead.

In 2007, the Supreme Court of Pakistan summoned the singer for an explanation of the song Parveen from the album Nara Sada Ishq Aye, alleging that it used the name Parveen in a derogatory manner that would hurt the sentiments of society.

In 2019, his song Chamkeeli was the subject of a claim in a civil court in Lahore, with the courts requesting that the song be banned and removed from YouTube, alleging that it was humiliating and insulting to both men and women.

Philanthropy

Sahara for Life Trust

Abrar-ul-Haq is the Founder and Chairman of Sahara for Life Trust (SLT), a post he has held since its inception in 1998. SLT is a private organization promoting health and education in remote areas. SAHARA stands for: "Services Aimed at Health and Awakening in Remote Areas". SLT is recognized and registered as a leading charitable organization in Pakistan, the U.K, and the U.S. It is also certified by the Pakistan Center for Philanthropy (PCP) and the U.N. (under the charter of DESA). SLT has been involved in numerous relief and rehabilitation efforts over the years. In 2003, SLT established its first large-scale general hospital in Narowal, Pakistan. The Sughra Shafi Medical Hospital Complex is a PMDC-certified general hospital that provides a wide range of healthcare services to the people of Narowal and its surrounding areas. The location of this hospital also reduced the travel time for patients in critical condition who were unable to travel to major cities in a timely manner, thus saving lives.

Niaz Support

In 2023, he was appointed the global goodwill ambassador of Niaz Support. This is a social enterprise in Pakistan that provides customized wheelchairs to people with disabilities. It also involves them in the manufacturing process, creating employment opportunities for them

Political career

Youth Parliament of Pakistan

In 2006, he founded the Youth Parliament of Pakistan (YPP), a non-profit, non-political, and non-religious program.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (2011-2023)

In December 2011 Abrar-ul-Haq joined Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf.

In 2012, he was appointed as President of the Youth Wing of PTI. In 2013, he was appointed as PTI's Secretary of Foreign Affairs.

He ran for a seat on the National Assembly as PTI's Candidate for Constituency NA-117 (Narowal-III) in the 2013 Pakistani general elections receiving 51,359 votes and lost to PML-N's Ahsan Iqbal.

He was again nominated as PTI's Candidate for National Assembly Constituency NA-78 (Narowal-II) for the 2018 Pakistani general elections but received 88,250 votes and lost to PML-N's Ahsan Iqbal.

On 15 November 2019, he was appointed Pakistan Red Crescent Society's 16th chairman and assumed office on 27 December 2019.

In 2023, he left the PTI and quit politics following the controversy surrounding the May 9 riots.

Discography

Albums

Studio releases

Television

TEDx Talks

Honours and recognition

• Tamgha-e-Imtiaz (Medal of Excellence) received from the President of Pakistan on 23 March 2005, for public service / music / philanthropy.
• Sitara-e-Eisaar received from the President of Pakistan on 30 June 2006, for outstanding humanitarian relief work during the 8 October 2005 devastating earthquake in Pakistan.
• Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) – Appointed Humanitarian Ambassador of the OIC on 11 January 2011.

Awards

References

1. "Meet The Beautiful Family Of Ace Singer Abrar Ul Haq". Health Fashion. 9 February 2020.
2. ^ Lodhi, Adnan (29 April 2016). "Abrar Ul Haq is back with a bangra". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
3. ^ "Abrarul Haq to address House of Lords". The Express Tribune. 7 June 2012. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
4. ^ "Statistics on Abrar-ul-Haq's albums". Abrar-ul-Haq Official Website. Archived from the original on 26 March 2009. Retrieved 17 May 2019.
5. "India Today International". India Today International. 25 (40–52). Living Media India Limited: 16. 2000. King of Pakistani Pop Arad Al Hukh
6. ^ "The List Of PTI Candidates For General Election 2018". insaf.pk. Archived from the original on 24 June 2018. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
7. ^ Javed, Amna (1 June 2015). "Abrar-ul-Haq: In Pursuit of Life through Song & Philanthropy". Youlin Magazine. Archived from the original on 25 February 2024.
8. ^ "Profile: Abrar-ul-Haq". Pride of Pakistan. Archived from the original on 25 February 2024.
9. "Abrar-ul-Haq – biography and personal life". Profiles of Famous Pakistanis. 31 August 2021. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
10. Khan, Aasim Zafar (18 October 2015). "An era without an anthem". The News on Sunday. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
11. Paracha, Nadeem F. (27 February 2014). "The 10 Best Pakistani Political/Social Parody Songs … Ever!". Dawn. Karachi. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
12. ^ Ghafoor, Usman (23 December 2019). "Abrar ul Haq lands in trouble with 'Chamkeeli'". Gulf News. Dubai. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
13. "SC summons Abrar over controversial song". Dawn. Karachi. 22 May 2007. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
14. ^ Bilal, Rana (19 December 2019). "Abrar-ul-Haq's Chamkeeli comes under fire for apparently insulting men and women". Dawn. Karachi. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
15. About Sahara for Life Trust Archived 10 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine. saharaforlife.org
16. Islamabad (3 January 2023). "Jahangir Khan, Abrar-ul-Haq and Azam Jamil become the Global Goodwill Ambassadors for Niaz". IslamabadPost. Retrieved 4 September 2024.
17. "Youth Parliament of Pakistan". 2013. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
18. Business Recorder, published 20 December 2011, retrieved 3 January 2020
19. Pakistan Today, published 7 June 2012, retrieved 3 January 2020
20. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf#Intra-party elections Pakistan_Tehreek-e-Insaf (wikipedia)
21. "NA-117 Narowal-III, National Assembly Election 2013 Results & Party Position". UrduPoint. Archived from the original on 31 October 2020. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
22. GEOtv (election results), published July 2018, retrieved 5 January 2020
23. Dawn, published 26 December 2019, retrieved 3 January 2020
24. Daily Times, published 28 December 2019, retrieved 3 January 2020
25. "Abrarul Haq, Saifullah Nyazee leave PTI". 26 May 2023.
26. ^ "Abrar-ul-Haq – profile and interview" Archived 17 May 2019 at the Wayback Machine ForumPakistan.com website, Retrieved 17 May 2019
27. Warraich, Faizan Ali (30 April 2016). "Abrar comes up with 'Billo Returns Aithay Rakh' after 9 years". The Nation. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
28. "Collaborations", IMDb (Short, Musical), 1 January 2006, retrieved 4 November 2021
29. "Five cover songs of 2013 that blew us away". The Express Tribune. 19 December 2013. Retrieved 22 December 2013.
30. "Coke Studio 6: Ayesha Omar eclipses two maestros". The Express Tribune. 25 November 2013. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
31. ^ "Begum Shak Karti Hai: Abrar Ul Haq dedicates latest song to all 'run mureeds'". Dunya News. 14 February 2008. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
32. "Abrar Ul Haq releases one-of-a-kind love song". The Express Tribune. 7 August 2016. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
33. Maheen Sabeeh (24 July 2018). "Coke Studio 11 announces itself with 'Hum Dekhenge'". The News International. Retrieved 29 July 2018.
34. Images Staff (26 October 2019). "People can't stop grooving to Abrar ul Haq's Coke Studio rendition of Billo". Images. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
35. TEDx Talks (Youtube channel), Published 23 January 2019, Retrieved 6 January 2020
36. TEDx Talks (Youtube channel), Published 5 February 2019, Retrieved 6 January 2020
37. "130 nationals, foreigners to get civil awards". Dawn. 14 August 2004. Retrieved 17 April 2021.
38. "Awards conferred for earthquake relief work" Dawn, published 1 July 2006, retrieved 17 May 2019
39. Press Reader: Arab News, published 12 January 2011, retrieved 11 February 2020

External links

• Abrar-Ul-Haq at Punjabi Studio

• Living people
• Pakistani philanthropists
• Pakistani pop singers
• Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf politicians
• Punjabi-language singers
• Pakistani dance musicians
• Quaid-i-Azam University alumni
• People from Faisalabad
• People from Narowal District
• Philanthropists from Punjab
• 1968 births
• Recipients of Tamgha-e-Imtiaz
• Coke Studio (Pakistani TV program)