Mashooq Sultan

{{Infobox musical artist

| name = Mashooq Sultan

| image = Mashooq Sultan.png

| image_upright =

| image_size =

| landscape =

| alt =

| caption = Sultana Bibi {{aka}} Mashooq Sultan

| native_name =

| native_name_lang =

| birth_name = Sultana Bibi

| alias = Melody Queen of the Pashto folk music
Queen of the stage
Mashooq Sultan

| birth_date = {{Birth year|1952}}

| birth_place = Swat State, Pakistan

| origin = Swat

| death_date = {{Death date and age|2016|12|19|1952|df=y}}

| death_place = Peshawar, Pakistan

| genre = Ghazals, Folk

| occupation = {{Hlist | Singer | Actress}}

| instrument =

| years_active = 1962 – 2016

| label =

| associated_acts = {{ubl|Radio Pakistan|Pakistan Television Corporation|Pashto cinema}} {{cite web | title=پشتو زبان کی معروف گلوکارہ 'معشوق سلطان ' انتقال کرگئیں - انٹرٹینمنٹ | website=Urdu News | url=https://urdu.geo.tv/latest/154635 | language=ur | access-date=30 June 2020}}

{{Infobox person | embed=yes

| awards = {{ubl|Pride of Performance|Tamgha-e-Imtiaz}}

}}

Mashooq Sultan (born Sultana Bibi; 1952 {{endash}} 19 December 2016), was a Pakistani folk singer and former actress. The recipient of numerous accolades, including, the highest national literary award of Pakistan the Pride of Performance, she is sometimes referred to as "Melody Queen of the Pashto folk music" for her contributions to Pashto music and "Queen of the stage" for representing Pakistan in numerous countries, including the US, the UK, France, Belgium, the UAE and in Afghanistan.{{Cite web|url=https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/173134-Prominent-Pashto-singer-Mashooq-Sultan-passes-away|title=Prominent Pashto singer Mashooq Sultan passes away|website=www.thenews.com.pk}}{{Cite web|url=https://nation.com.pk/19-Dec-2016/famous-pashto-singer-mashooq-sultan-passes-away|title=Famous Pashto singer Mashooq Sultan passes away|date=December 19, 2016|website=The Nation}} As a multilingual singer, she worked in 1,500 albums written in different regional languages such as Urdu, Punjabi, Saraiki and primarily Pashto. She also sang ghazals, and also worked as a playback singer in Pashto films.

Early life

She was born in Swat District's Chur Pinawrai town north of Shah Dehrai in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. When she was a child, her family shifted from Shah Dehrai to Mardan. She was married to Walayat Husain at twelve, with whom she had two daughters and four sons.{{Cite web |url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/1268132/pashto-folk-singer-mashooq-sultan-dies-64/ |title=Pashto folk singer Mashooq Sultan dies at 64 |website=tribune.com.pk|date=19 December 2016 }}{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vDFxDwAAQBAJ&q=Mashooq+Sultan+pashto+singer&pg=PT82|title=Around the World in 575 Songs: Asia & Oceania: Traditional Music from all the World's Countries - Volume 3|first=Nick|last=Wall|date=August 28, 2018|publisher=Politically Correct Press|isbn=9781999631451|via=Google Books}}

Career

When Mashooq was a teen (around sixteen), she first started singing as a wedding singer while performing during wedding ceremonies, and debuted in singing profession in 1962 when a Pakistani radio producer, Nawab Ali Khan Yousafzai introduced her to Radio Pakistan, the national public broadcaster of the country, at Peshawar station. Besides radio, she was also associated with Pakistan Television Corporation. Prior to singing, she worked in Pashto films such as Jawargar, Janaan,{{cite web | last=Shabbir | first=Fahad | title=Renowned Pashto Singer Mashooq Sultan Dies | website=UrduPoint | date=19 December 2016 | url=https://www.urdupoint.com/en/pakistan/renowned-pashto-singer-mashooq-sultan-dies-76788.html | access-date=1 July 2020}} including her first film Darra Khaibar{{Cite web |url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/1268515/queen-stage-pashto-minstrel-mashooq-sultan-dead-64 |title=Queen of the stage: Pashto minstrel Mashooq Sultan dead at 64 |website=tribune.com.pk|date=19 December 2016 }} and later chose to pursue singing.

She received singing training from one of her neighbors who was affiliated with music, and later Nawab Ali Yousafzai took her audition. After auditioning, she sang a duet musical composition with Gulab Sher in a children’s programme, designed for preschoolers.{{cite web | title=معروف پشتو گلوکارہ 'معشوق سلطان ' انتقال کرگئیں -Daily Jang-Latest News-Entertainment | website=Jang News | date=19 December 2016 | url=https://jang.com.pk/news/234415-renowned-pashto-singer-beloved-late-mashooq-sultan-dies | language=ur | access-date=1 July 2020}} Later she performed in Rafiq Shinwari's folk song titled "Da pah deryab ke sailaboono." (I am drowned in a stream of your worries) by Fazal Ghani Mujahid which was recorded at Radio Pakistan.

Personal life

During her last days, she experienced difficult circumstances due to poverty and lived in a two-room rented house at Chughalpura, Peshawar. In pursuit of better career opportunities in singing, she had moved to Peshawar around ten years ago,{{cite web | title=Peshawar melody queen Mashooq Sultan passes away | website=images.dawn.com | date=19 December 2016 | url=http://images.dawn.com/news/1176774 | access-date=1 July 2020}} and subsequently fractured a leg, having to sold her jewellery for treatment. It is believed she choose "folk singing" over "playback" due to militancy that affected art and music in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and in one of its administrative units Swat Valley.{{Cite web|url=https://newslinemagazine.com/magazine/interview-mashooq-sultana/|title=Interview: Mashooq Sultana}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.suchtv.pk/entertainment/item/47207-peshawar-melody-queen-mashooq-sultan-passes-away.html|title=Peshawar melody queen Mashooq Sultan passes away|first=Web|last=Desk|website=SUCH TV|date=19 December 2016 }}

In 2008, she alleged provincial government had discontinued paying a monthly stipend of Rs. 2,500 (approx. $40) she had received since the Pride of Performance was conferred on her.{{Cite web|url=https://in.reuters.com/article/pakistan-music-idINISL3885020080316|title=FEATURE-Musicians in Pakistan's northwest long for better times|date=March 16, 2008|via=in.reuters.com}}{{dead link|date=September 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}

Awards and accolades

She was the recipient of sixty medals. In 1996, she was awarded the Presidential Pride of Performance in recognition of her contribution to Pashto music.{{Cite web|url=https://www.app.com.pk/renowned-pashto-singer-mashooq-sultan-dies/|title=Renowned Pashto singer Mashooq Sultan dies|date=December 19, 2016}} In 2010, the Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Ameer Haider Khan Hoti presented Rs.3,00,000 to Mashooq for her service to Pashto music.{{Cite web|url=http://anp.org.pk/archieves1/grant-for-saher-afridi-mashooq-sultan-2/|title=Grant for Saher Afridi, Mashooq Sultan|date=July 21, 2010}} In 2015, the Governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Mehtab Abbasi presented Rs. 500,000 to her in recognition of her contributions to traditional music of Pashto. She was also the recipient of Tamgha-e-Imtiaz award.{{Cite web|url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/945433/honouring-legends-pashto-folk-singer-mashooq-sultan-awarded-rs0-5m|title=Pashto folk singer Mashooq Sultan awarded Rs0.5m|date=August 26, 2015|website=The Express Tribune}}