# Bilqees Khanum

Bilqees Khanum (Urdu: بلقیس خانم; 25 December 1948 – 21 December 2022) was a Pakistani classical music singer. She is known for singing ghazals and geets like "Kuch Din To Baso Meri Ankhon Mein", "Anokha Laadla Khelan Ko Mangay Chand", and "Mat Samjho Hum Ne Bhula Diya".

## Early life and family

Khanum was born on 25 December 1948, in a middle-class family in Garhi Shahu, Lahore, Pakistan. Her mother was a housewife, and her father Abdul Haq used to build furniture. Of their seven children — five girls and two boys —Khanum was the oldest. Because of her family’s financial hardship, she couldn't continue her schooling beyond elementary school. Her early childhood years were spent in Faisalabad, Pakistan. She used to perform songs at school festivals. At a young age, she studied singing with her maternal grandfather, Inayat Ali Khan, Ustad Muhammad Sharif and Ustad Ashiq Ali Khan of Karachi. One of Khanum's brothers Mohsin Raza is also a musician.

## Career

Khanum started her singing career in 1964 from Radio Pakistan. She was one of the artists who applied during PTV's initial test transmission in 1965. She sang several patriotic songs during the 1965 India-Pakistan War. Her vocalization of poet Habib Jalib's "Mat samjho hum nay bhula diya, Ye mitti tumko pyari thee, Iss mitti main hee sula diya" was a memorial tribute to the war heroes of 1965.
According to a major newspaper of Pakistan, "Bilquis Khanum's main contribution has been singing voluntarily for Pakistan Army on the front lines during the 1965 War".
Khanum also performed as a playback singer for some Lollywood movies. She sang under the music direction of Khalil Ahmad, Nashad, G.A. Chishti, Nisar Bazmi, Sohail Rana, Bakhshi Wazir, Rehman Verma, Safdar Hussain, and others. Her singing career lasted for over 45 years.

## Personal life

Bilqees Khanum met the notable sitar player of Mewati gharana of India, Ustad Rais Khan at Karachi in 1978. At the time, he was visiting Pakistan for a concert. Their few meetings soon "blossomed into love".
In 1980, Khanum married the Indian classical music sitarist Ustaad Raees Khan (1939 - 2017), who later got Pakistani nationality and settled in Karachi in 1986 with his fourth wife Khanum.
Bilqees Khanum and Ustad Rais Khan had two sons, Farhan Rais Khan and Hazoor Hasnain Rais Khan. Both of them are sitar players like their famous father and live in Pakistan.

## Death

After a prolonged illness, Khanum died in Karachi on 21 December 2022. The prime minister of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif offered his condolences over her death and acknowledged her services for the music world.

## Awards

| Year | Award | Category | Result | Work | Ref. |
| 2018 | Pride of Performance Award | Arts | Won | Singing | |

## Songography
### Radio/TV

| Song title | Lyrics by | Music by |
| "Mat samjho hum ne bhula diya, Yeh mitti tumko pyari thee, Iss mitti mein hee sula diya" | Habib Jalib | |
| "Anokha Laadla Khelan Ko Mangay Chand" | Asad Muhammad Khan | Ustad Ashiq Ali Khan |
| "Kuch din to buso meri aankhon mein" | Obaidullah Aleem | Ustad Nazar Hussain |
| "Woh to khushbu hai hawaon main bikhar jayega" | Parveen Shakir | Nisar Bazmi |
| "Sakal ban phool rahi sarson" | Ameer Khusro | Ameer Khusro |
| "Amma meray baba ko bhejo ri" | Ameer Khusro | Ameer Khusro |

### Film

| Song title | Lyrics by | Music by | Film |
| "Pyar Di Khatir Ban Geye Jogi.. Rab Sajna Di Kahir Karay" | Khawaja Pervaiz | Bakhshi-Wazir | Melay Sajna De (1972) |