Abrar-ul-Haq () is a Pakistani singer-songwriter, philanthropist, and a politician. His debut 1995 album ''

Billo De Ghar ''Billo De Ghar'' () is the debut album by Pakistani pop singer Abrar-ul-Haq. It was written, composed and sung by the artist and became a best selling album in South Asia at the time of its release in 1995. As of 2004, over 16million copies of ...

'' sold over 40.3million albums worldwide, which made him a household name and granted him the title of "King of

Pakistani pop Pakistani popular music or shortly Pak-pop music refers to popular music forms in Pakistan. Pakistani pop is a mixture of traditional Pakistani classical music and western influences of jazz, rock and roll, hip hop and disco sung in various lang ...

". Abrar-ul-Haq is the founder and chairman of Sahara for Life Trust, a private organization that has been providing health services to the people of Narowal and surrounding areas since 1998. He was

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is a political party in Pakistan established in 1996 by cricketer and politician Imran Khan, who served as the country's prime minister from 2018 to 2022. The party is led by Gohar Ali Khan since late 2023. ...

's candidate for the seat of

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repr ...

from constituency NA-78 (Narowal-II) in the

2018 Pakistani general election General elections were held in Pakistan on 25 July 2018 to elect the members of the 15th National Assembly and the four Provincial Assemblies. The three major parties were Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), led by Imran Khan, the Pakistan Muslim ...

Early life and education

Abrar-ul-Haq was born in

Faisalabad Faisalabad, formerly known as Lyallpur, is the List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, second-largest city and primary List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, industrial center of the Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan ...

Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...

to a civil servant father, and is the youngest among eight siblings. He belongs to

Punjabi Punjabi, or Panjabi, most often refers to: * Something of, from, or related to Punjab, a region in India and Pakistan * Punjabi language * Punjabis, Punjabi people * Punjabi dialects and languages Punjabi may also refer to: * Punjabi (horse), a ...

Jat The Jat people (, ), also spelt Jaat and Jatt, are a traditionally agricultural community in Northern India and Pakistan. Originally pastoralists in the lower Indus river-valley of Sindh, many Jats migrated north into the Punjab region in l ...

family of the Kahlon clan and his elder brother Major (r) Israr-ul-Haq Kahlon is an active politician in Narowal. He was initially educated at the Junior Model School, Gujrat later graduating from the Sir Syed College,

Rawalpindi Rawalpindi is the List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, third-largest city in the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is a commercial and industrial hub, being the list of cities in P ...

before getting his

Master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

social sciences Social science (often rendered in the plural as the social sciences) is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of society, societies and the Social relation, relationships among members within those societies. The term was former ...

from the Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad.

Academic career

Abrar-ul-Haq served as a teacher in

Aitchison College Aitchison College is an elite private, boarding school, boarding Junior School, Secondary School for boys in Lahore, Pakistan. It has educated Prime Minister of Pakistan, prime ministers, including Imran Khan, Feroz Khan Noon, president of Pakist ...

Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...

for a brief period of time but quit the faculty when he opted for a music career.

Music career

His first music album as singer was ''

'', which was released in 1995.

Controversies

Abrar-ul-Haq's songs have been a subject of controversy in Pakistan. After the release of the hit song ''Billo De Ghar'' in 1995, Urdu newspapers began quoting Islamic scholars of Lahore who were of the opinion that the song was describing a man falling in love with a prostitute and wanting to marry her. Upon the formation of

Nawaz Sharif Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif (born 25 December 1949) is a Pakistani politician and businessman who served as the 12th Prime Minister of Pakistan, prime minister of Pakistan for three non-consecutive terms, first serving from 1990 to 1993, then ...

PML-N The Pakistan Muslim League (N) or (PML(N)) is a Centre-right politics, centre-right, Conservatism in Pakistan, conservative political party in Pakistan. It is currently the third-largest party in the Senate of Pakistan, Senate and the larges ...

majority government after the 1997 election, the song was banned from state-owned TV and radio channels. In the early 2000s, his song ''Nach Punjaban'' was met with opposition from those who thought the casual use of the word ''Punjaban'' was a demeaning way to address Punjabi women, eventually resulting in Abrar-ul-Haq re-recording a version of the song using the word ''Majajan'' instead. In 2007, the

Supreme Court of Pakistan The Supreme Court of Pakistan (; ''Adālat-e-Uzma Pākistān'') is the apex court in the Judiciary of Pakistan, judicial hierarchy of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Established in accordance witPart VIIof the Constitution of Pakistan, it h ...

summoned the singer for an explanation of the song ''Parveen'' from the album '' Nara Sada Ishq Aye'', alleging that it used the name Parveen in a derogatory manner that would hurt the sentiments of society. In 2019, his song ''Chamkeeli'' was the subject of a claim in a civil court in Lahore, with the courts requesting that the song be banned and removed from YouTube, alleging that it was humiliating and insulting to both men and women.

Philanthropy

Sahara for Life Trust

Abrar-ul-Haq is the

Founder Founder or Founders may refer to: Places *Founders Park, a stadium in South Carolina, formerly known as Carolina Stadium * Founders Park, a waterside park in Islamorada, Florida Arts, entertainment, and media * Founders (''Star Trek''), the ali ...

and

Chairman The chair, also chairman, chairwoman, or chairperson, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the gro ...

of Sahara for Life Trust (SLT), a post he has held since its inception in 1998. SLT is a private organization promoting health and education in remote areas. SAHARA stands for: "Services Aimed at Health and Awakening in Remote Areas". SLT is recognized and registered as a leading charitable organization in Pakistan, the U.K, and the U.S. It is also certified by the Pakistan Center for Philanthropy (PCP) and the U.N. (under the charter of DESA). SLT has been involved in numerous relief and rehabilitation efforts over the years. In 2003, SLT established its first large-scale general hospital in

Narowal Narowal ( Punjabi / ; ) is a historic a city located on the western bank of river Ravi in Punjab Pakistan. It was found by a Jat named Baba Naro Bajwa many centuries ago. The city is the capital of district Narowal, and a part of the Guj ...

, Pakistan. The Sughra Shafi Medical Hospital Complex is a PMDC-certified general hospital that provides a wide range of healthcare services to the people of Narowal and its surrounding areas. The location of this hospital also reduced the travel time for patients in critical condition who were unable to travel to major cities in a timely manner, thus saving lives.

Niaz Support social enterprise

In 2023, he was appointed the global goodwill ambassador of Niaz Support. This is a social enterprise in Pakistan that provides customized wheelchairs to people with disabilities. It also involves them in the manufacturing process, creating employment opportunities for them

Political career

Youth Parliament of Pakistan

In 2006, he founded the Youth Parliament of Pakistan (YPP), a non-profit, non-political, and non-religious program.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (2011-2023)

In December 2011 Abrar-ul-Haq joined

. In 2012, he was appointed as President of the Youth Wing of PTI. In 2013, he was appointed as PTI's Secretary of Foreign Affairs. He ran for a seat on the

as PTI's Candidate for Constituency NA-117 (Narowal-III) in the

2013 Pakistani general election General elections were held in Pakistan on Saturday 11 May 2013 to elect the members of the List of members of the 14th National Assembly of Pakistan, 14th National Assembly of Pakistan, National Assembly and the four Subdivisions of Pakistan, Pr ...

s receiving 51,359 votes and lost to

Ahsan Iqbal Ahsan Iqbal Chaudhary (; born 28 March 1959) is a Pakistani politician currently holding the position of Federal Minister of Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives and Inter Provincial Coordination. He is also the Secretary General of ...

. He was again nominated as PTI's Candidate for National Assembly Constituency NA-78 (Narowal-II) for the

s but received 88,250 votes and lost to

.GEOtv (election results)
published July 2018, retrieved 5 January 2020 On 15 November 2019, he was appointed

Pakistan Red Crescent Society Pakistan Red Crescent Society (), is a national society of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan in the humanitarian sector, that provides emergency medical and relief services in Pakistan in both natural and human-made disasters. The organization wa ...

's 16th chairman and assumed office on 27 December 2019. In 2023, he left the PTI and quit politics following the controversy surrounding the

May 9 riots The May 9 riots, also called the May 9 protests (), and known as Black Day by the Pakistani government, were a series of violent riots that took place on 9 May 2023, in Pakistan. Following the arrest of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader a ...

Discography

Albums

Studio releases

Television

TEDx Talks

Honours and recognition

Tamgha-e-Imtiaz Tamgha-e-Imtiaz (), also spelled as Tamgha-i-Imtiaz, is a state-organised honour of Pakistan. It is given to any civilian in Pakistan based on their achievements. While it is a civilian/military award, it can be bestowed upon officers of the ...

(Medal of Excellence) received from the

President of Pakistan The president of Pakistan () is the head of state of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. The president is the nominal head of the executive and the supreme commander of the Pakistan Armed Forces.

on 23 March 2005, for public service / music / philanthropy. *

Sitara-e-Eisaar Sitara-e-Eisaar ''( lit.'' ''Star of Sacrifice)'' is a commemorative medal which is awarded for outstanding humanitarian services in the wake of the devastating 2005 earthquake in Pakistan. It was awarded by the then President Pervez Musharraf ...

received from the

on 30 June 2006, for outstanding humanitarian relief work during the 8 October 2005 devastating earthquake in Pakistan."Awards conferred for earthquake relief work"
''Dawn'', published 1 July 2006, retrieved 17 May 2019 *

Organization of Islamic Cooperation The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC; ; ), formerly the Organisation of the Islamic Conference, is an intergovernmental organisation founded in 1969. It consists of 57 member states, 48 of which are Muslim-majority. The Pew Forum on ...

( OIC) – Appointed Humanitarian Ambassador of the OIC on 11 January 2011.Press Reader: ''Arab News''
published 12 January 2011, retrieved 11 February 2020

Awards

References

External links

Abrar-Ul-Haq
a
Punjabi Studio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Abrar-ul-Haq Living people Pakistani philanthropists Pakistani pop singers Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf politicians Punjabi-language singers Pakistani dance musicians Quaid-i-Azam University alumni People from Faisalabad People from Narowal District Philanthropists from Punjab, Pakistan 1968 births Recipients of Tamgha-e-Imtiaz