Important Personalities

Bulleh Shah

nmjhSyed Abdullah Shah Qadri, known popularly as Bulleh Shah and Bulleya, was a Punjabi philosopher and Sufi poet during 17th Century. His ancestors had migrated from Bukhara (modern-day Uzbekistan) in the 14th / 15th Century AD. His first spiritual teacher was Shah Inayat Qadiri, a Sufi murshid of Lahore. He was a mystic poet and is universally regarded as "The Father of Punjabi Enlightenment". He lived and was buried in Kasur. Shrine of Bulleh Shah is situated right in the center of Kasur City. His three-day annual Urs celebrations starts on 10 Bhadon (in the last week of August).

 

 

Bade Ghulam Ali Khan

bgaUstad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan was born in Kasur, of the erstwhile Punjab Province (British India) in 1902. At the age of five, Bade Ghulam began training in vocal music from his uncle (chacha) Kale Khan, and later from his father. He had three younger brothers namely Barkat Ali Khan, Mubarak Ali Khan and Amanat Ali Khan. After the Partition of India in 1947, Bade Ghulam Ali Khan went to his hometown Kasur, but returned to India later to migrate to India permanently in 1957. Many of his raga expositions were brief, contrary to convention, and, while he agreed that the beauty of classical music lay in leisurely improvisation, he believed that the audience would not appreciate long alaps, particularly considering his tendency towards singing for the masses. He, therefore, changed the music to what the audience wanted.
 

Noor Jehan

njNoor Jehan (Allah Rakhi Wasai) born on September 21, 1926 and known by her honorific title Malika-e-Tarannum (Queen of Melody), was a Pakistani playback singer and actress who worked first in India and then in the cinema of Pakistan. Her career spanned more than six decades (the 1930s - 1990s). Considered to be one of the greatest and most influential singers in Indian subcontinent, she was given the honorific title of Malika-e-Tarannum in Pakistan. She had command of Hindustani classical music as well as other music genres. During her career, she sang a total of 2,422 songs for 1148 Pakistani films in various languages including Urdu, Punjabi and Sindhi.

 

 

Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri

kmkKhurshid Mahmud Kasuri born on June 18, 1941, is a Pakistani politician and writer who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan from November 2002 until November 2007. He is the Senior Advisor (on Political and International Affairs) and Chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's Task Force on Kashmir and a member of the Core Committee of the Party. He is also the author of 'Neither a Hawk Nor a Dove'. He won a seat in Pakistan's National Assembly as member from NA-142 (Kasur-V) in 1993 and later in 1997 on PML ticket and served on the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Foreign Relations. He joined Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in 2012 and unsuccessfully ran for National Assembly in 2013.

 

 

Najam Sethi

nsNajam Aziz Sethi born on May 20, 1948 is a Pakistani journalist, businessman, who is also the founder of The Friday Times and Vanguard Books. Previously, as an administrator, he served as Chairman of Pakistan Cricket Board, caretaker Federal Minister of Pakistan and Chief Minister of Punjab, Pakistan. As a journalist, he is a left-leaning political commentator who serves as the editor-in-chief of The Friday Times and served as Chairman of Pakistan Super League. He has also served as the caretaker Chief Minister of Punjab during the 2013 election.