ISLAMABAD, AUG 17: Barely three days after celebrating the golden jubilee of its independence, Pakistan woke up this morning to the shocking news of the death of its most celebrated international star, Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, in a London hospital.

Thousands of admirers today attended funeral prayers for the maestro at the Data Darbar shrine of the great Sufi poet of Lahore who was adored by Khan.

Earlier, Khan's body was received at Lahore airport by his 11-year-old adopted daughter, Nida and some close relatives amid emotional scenes.

There was shock and disbelief at the sudden demise of the musical genius who gave international popularity to the qawwali, the Sufi form of singing which originated in the sub-continent but had remained localised in the region till recently. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif described Khan's death as a ``national loss'' while President Farooq Ahmed Leghari said, ``He had no parallel.''

Popular ghazal singer Ghulam Ali, who, like Khan, is loved equally in India and Pakistan, described him as a modern day Tansen. ``He had tremendous control over his voice and could bring out such effects as we cannot even imagine,'' he said.

Another ghazal stalwart, Mehdi Hassan, said, ``Whenever I heard Nusrat, tears rolled down my eyes. In fact, he had so much command over singing that his voice used to touch the soul of audience.'' Urdu poet Qateel Shifai described Nusrat as the `King of Music' while poet Muneer Niazi, said his death was an irreparable loss both to the East and the West as he had established a strong cultural bond between the two.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.