Designer Mina Hasan, who is the daughter of legendary singer Madam Noor Jehan, has responded to Ali Azmat’s comments attacking her mother, in a detailed note posted on Instagram. She concluded her note by observing, “Not all primates evolved to become better creatures. Some regressed to lower life forms, faded into irrelevance; invoked cheap theatrics to grapple with the fame lost and lived out their remaining days consumed by their insecurities.”
This note was written in response to Ali Azmat’s comments in an interview with The Current, on Youtube, where the vocalist described Noor Jehan in terms that were seen as offensive and degrading by many commentators. In a video conversation, Azmat said that in his younger days, “There would be a show on TV and you had Noor Jehan in full sari and lots of makeup, and we used to get annoyed, wondering why we had to see this big ‘kofta’ in front of us.”
Mina Hasan reflected in her Instagram note that people have the right to freedom of expression, but with that privilege comes the need to observe propriety. She further wrote:
“Let us a take a moment to disagree with disgraceful utterances from an interview conducted with a now faded representative of Pakistan’s music industry. Let us take a moment to recognise this person’s unregulated & greatly unjustified tenor & evident lack of intellectual coherence.”
Ali Azmat’s comments on the woman known as the Melody Queen have drawn sharp criticism from many on social media.
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President General Yahya Khan (1969 – 1971) was a great fan of Madam Noor Jehan.
No doubt Madam Noor Jehan was a pride of Pakistan in singing and also acting, but I agree with Ali Azmat to some extent when it comes to Madam Noor Jehans makeup. It’s used to make her look like a doll even in her 60’s and 70’s and it never suited her personality. I feel Mr. Azhamat has become very cheap in talking and giving useless comments, I guess he is getting old and frustrated as he does not have much work now.