Bilqees Khanum

Bilqees Khanum (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 December 25, 1948, in a middle-class family in Garhi Shahu, Lahore. 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 years spent in Faisalabad. She used to perform songs at school festivals. At a young age, she studied singing with her maternal grandfather, Inayat Ali Khan. 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 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.

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
In 1980, Khanum married the Indian classical music sitarist Ustaad Raees Khan, who later got Pakistani nationality and settled in Karachi with his fourth wife Khanum.

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