A popular veteran Pashto singer Qamar Gula passed away at a hospital in Toronto, Canada after a short illness, family sources confirmed on Saturday.
She was born in Nangarhar, Afghanistan, and lived in Canada for years.
She was credited to be the second female Pashto singer to have sung for Radio Television Afghanistan and her career in the Pashto music industry spans nearly five decades.
She was eight years old when started singing in the Pashto language. She still maintains her popularity among Afghans, particularly among the older generation who associate her music with the nostalgic times of Afghanistan.
Her voice is often referred to as “The Golden Voice” by the Afghan media. Over the years, she collaborated with various Afghan singers: with Rukhshana in the 1970s, with Gul Zaman in the 1980s, and in the 2010s with Zarsanga, Waheed Qasemi, and Hangama.
She remained in Pakistan for a few years and earned a name in the Pakhtun belt of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. “Wa malanga yara kekda qadam ro ro” and “Za chay pa toro stargo tor ranja kam poray moray” songs became household singing items in her lifetime.