“I had wanted to sing since I was in school and started taking part in performances when I was in college, though I did not let my parents know because they did not want me singing in front of others, and especially not on television or radio.

I got many offers from PTV in the beginning which I turned down because my family did not know I sang. They allowed me to pursue a career in singing when they saw me perform at a college event. I started my career in 2000 and also completed a masters in political science in 2003.

I have won several awards, including the National Music Award from PTV, and awards from the PNCA, Lok Virsa and Radio Pakistan and have performed in many countries.

Singing is not considered a good profession for women in this country, especially if you perform at private events, where people also cheat you out of money.

My husband went abroad a few years ago and married another woman. I have two sons from him who are nine and 11 years old. He used to send money in the beginning and then stopped. My in-laws were also not helping so I started singing in private events. When they had a problem with that, I started working as music producer in Radio Pakistan.

I was late coming home one day so my father-in-law threw me and my sons out. I decided to raise my sons by myself. This happened seven years ago and it has helped make me believe in myself.”

Published in Dawn, April 15th, 2017