HYDERABAD, June 17: Rich tribute was paid to senior film actor Mustafa Qureshi and his equally acclaimed singer wife Rubeena Qureshi for their great contributions to film and music.

At an “evening with Mustafa Qureshi and Rubeena Qureshi” organised by Radio Pakistan at the Sindh Museum on Saturday night, speakers praised the new tradition of paying tribute to great people during their lifetime for their achievements.

A book on banjo player Bilawal Belgium was launched on the occasion. It has been co-authored by Radio Pakistan Hyderabad’s station director Naseer Mirza and Mohammad Aziz, a banjo player.

Speaker Sindh Assembly Nisar Khuhro said the artiste couple belonged to Sindh but their art was recognised the world over because art had no boundaries. They are Sindh’s pride.

He said Rubeena’s songs were appreciated also in foreign countries. Mustafa and Rubeena were lucky to have each other. He praised their contribution to performing arts and lauded Radio Pakistan for taking the initiative to introduce the new tradition.

Federal Minister Maula Bux Chandio said Sindh was passing through a critical phase and such gatherings provided some relief to people and helped mitigate their misery.

He said that Rubeena’s voice echoed all over the country. The couple were lucky to receive people’s love and appreciation, he said.

Mehtab Akbar Rashidi said the credit went to Radio Pakistan to discover the couple and provide them a platform to exhibit their talent. Had there been no radio, people would not have known the couple, she said.

She said Mustafa Qureshi had no sign of arrogance and he loved people.

Poetess Sehar Imdad called for preserving songs of Rubeena Qureshi. Her lost songs should also be collected and preserved, she said.

Mustafa Qureshi expressed his gratitude to the gathering for showering so much love and honour on him and his wife and said that Sindh and music were inseparable.

He said that while he worked mostly in Punjab but his soul lived in Sindh. Wealthy families of Sindh should invest in making Sindhi films, he said, adding that melody had the power to melt down even the callous of callous hearts.

He said such gatherings helped encourage artistes and the tradition must continue. He owed a great deal to Radio Pakistan which took him to fame, he said.

Artistes’ services were usually acknowledged after their death but it was a good tradition that they were receiving appreciation in their lives, he said. He called for increasing remuneration of Radio Pakistan’s artistes.

Rubina Qureshi said her mother had always encouraged her and she wanted to see her earn a name in the field of art.

Director-General of Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation Murtaza Solangi said he was delighted to be among the artistes whom he liked to hear. Mustafa’s voice was a representative of Sindh and the songs of his wife were heard in every nook and corner of the province.

He said Radio Pakistan would soon launch its news alert service for mobile phones. The institution had improved a great deal and introduced many reforms, he said.

Naseer Mirza said Mustafa and Rubeena were bright stars on the art horizon. She sang about 10,000 songs and the total recording time of her songs was more than 50 hours.

A CD with 11-hour recording of her songs had been prepared by Radio Pakistan, he said.