LAHORE, Sept 7: Celebrated singer Mehdi Hasan's four sons have established Mehdi Hasan Welfare Trust for artists, writers, singers and the flood-stricken people.

Addressing a news conference at Lahore Press Club on Tuesday, Sajjad Mehdi, who is also an inspector in traffic police and in-charge Rasta System, said it was his father's wish that a welfare trust should be established after his name. He said an amount of Rs250,000 had been deposited with the trust's fund by its four founding members namely Sajjad Mehdi, Asif Mehdi, Shehzad Mehdi and Waris Hasan Mehdi.

He said the trust had plans to set up a hospital for free treatment for the ailing writers, singers and other professionals related to entertainment world.

He said the trust was establishing four camps in Lahore for the flood-ridden people. “We won't use boxes for money collection and we shall issue receipts having a proper account number,” he added.

Sajjad Mehdi said in 2008 the government had promised his father a piece of land for setting up a singing academy. But now the family had requested the government to grant land for the establishment of a hospital. He said if his ailing father would feel better he would himself participate in collecting fund for flood-hit people.