KARACHI, July 30: Soyem of noted broadcaster Sahab Qazalbash was held at Masjid Babul Ilm in North Nazimabad on Friday afternoon. Ms Qazalbash, whose voice ruled the airwaves of the world for over 50 years, died in London on July 26, aged 78. She leaves a son.

Daughter of Agha Shair Qazalbash, who was a student of trend-setting poet Dagh Dehlavi, she embarked on a broadcasting career in pre-partition Delhi at the age of 10. She came to Radio Pakistan in Karachi from the All-India Radio in 1947. Her illustrious career took her to Radio Zahidaan and BBC London.

She burst onto the literary scene with a collection of short stories, titled Badliyan, in 1946. After more than 50 years, her anthology of poems, titled Lafzoon key pairahan, was published.

In 2001, her memoirs - Mera koi mazi nahin - containing sketches of leading men of letters, including Meeraji, Noon Meem Rashid and Faiz Ahmad Faiz, came out. Another collection of vignettes of literary personalities came out in 2002. It was titled Roshan Chehray. Her travelogue, titled Mulkoon, mulkoon, shaheroon, shaheroon, also came out in 2002.