Daily Times

NEW YORK – Famed Pakistani classical singer Ustad Hamid Ali Khan enthralled an appreciative audience with his lilting ghazals and songs at a musical soiree held at the Pakistan Mission to the United Nations in New York.

Pakistan U.N. Ambassador Maleeha Lodhi hosted the cultural event as part of her efforts to promote the soft image of the country. She has organized a series of such concerts since taking over as ambassador to the U.N. earlier this year.

Attending were diplomats, UN. officials, Pakistani Diaspora, including young Pakistani professionals, and officers of the mission and Pakistan’s Consulate General in New York.

Besides ghazals, Hamid Ali Khan’s mesmerizing performance included patriotic songs and Sufi and classical renditions. One of the songs greatly appreciated by the audience was ‘Ay Watan Payray Watan’, originally sung by his elder brother Ustad Amanat Ali Khan.

Ustad Hamid Ali Khan, who is from Patiala gharana and has received top national awards,was introduced to the audience by Dr. Azra Raza, a Pakistani oncologist, a popular figure in New York’s literary circles.