Celebrated singer Sonu Nigam spoke of the time he spent performing with Sabri and also their shared near death experience.
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A splinter faction of the Pakistani Taliban said after the attack that it had killed Sabri because he was a “blasphemer”. Soon the sport was followed by security personnel who rushed them to the hospital but the signer was found dead at the spot only, while his assistants had some minor injuries and later was transferred to the hospital. “Then they turned and fired four shots on the other side of the auto”, he recalled.
According to police, Sabri was the only target of the killers who spared another person travelling with the singer.
Amjad Sabri was the nephew of qawwali icon Maqbool Sabri who passed away in 2011. As per the police, two attackers intercepted the singer’s vehicle and targeted the singer who was driving.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility but a senior police official said, “It was a targeted killing and an act of terrorism”.
A blasphemy case was filed in 2014 against a local TV station after it aired a show in which Sabri sang a qawwali that made reference to historic religious figures.
Bollywood singer Sonu Nigam expressed condolence to Pakistan over the loss of Amjad Sabri.
Deputy Inspector General (DIG) West addressed the media and stated that two unidentified gunmen attacked Sabri using a 30 bore pistol.
“Militants belonging to different banned outfits are openly roaming in parts of Karachi and there is no one to stop them”, he said.
Sufi mosques and shrines have come under attack in recent years, including the 2010 bombing of the Data Darbar shrine in Lahore that killed more than 40 people. Some of his most memorable qawwalis were “Bhar Do Jholi Meri”, “Tajdar-i-Haram” and “Mera Koi Nahin Hai Teray Siwa”.
Amjad Sabri’s family has claimed that he didn’t receive threats from anyone.
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Sabri was one of the renounced Pakistani Naat Khawan. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has condemned the attack and directed authorities to bring the perpetrators to justice.
