Amjad Farid (Fareed) Sabri (23 December 1976 – 22 June 2016) was a Pakistani singer and a proponent of the Sufi Muslim tradition. Son of Ghulam Farid Sabri of the Sabri Brothers, he emerged as one of South Asia's most prominent qawwali singers, often reciting poems written by his father and uncle.[2] He was shot dead in Karachi in a targeted killing claimed by a splinter group of the Pakistani Taliban.[3]
Career
Born on 23 December 1976, Amjad began learning qawwali music from his father at age nine and joined his father on stage to perform in 1988 at age 12. His father trained him in Raag Bhairon, which is practiced in early morning. For this training Sabri had to get out of bed in the mid night, then after performing tahajjud (a midnight prayer) practised the baja.[4] Sabri presented the work of his family and travelled widely to India, America and Europe where he was known as the "rock star" of qawwali.[5] From then on he remained one of the most acclaimed qawwali singers on the Indian subcontinent and performed around the world.
Sabri's last musical project was with Coke Studio. Sabri's performance on the platform came out to be his first and last one.[6]
Death
On 22 June 2016, after finishing a morning TV show where his last song included the words “When I shudder in my dark tomb, dear Prophet, look after me”,[7] two motorcyclists opened fire on Sabri's car in Liaquatabad Town, Karachi, critically injuring Sabri, an associate and his driver. Sabri was shot twice in the head and once on the ear.[8][9] The three men including Sabri were taken to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital[10] where Sabri died shortly after.[11] His murder occurred near an underpass named after his father.[7]
The killing was claimed by a splinter group of the Pakistani Taliban who accused Sabri of blasphemy.[3]
Tens of thousands of people attended Sabri's funeral in Karachi.[12] The murder met with condemnation from many public figures in Pakistan, and several protests were organised against the killing.[13][14][15][16][17]
