Lata Mangeshkar: India’s Nightingale who found an admirer in Pakistan’s brutal dictator Zia ul Haq

Islamabad: Pakistan’s brutal dictator General Muhammad Zia ul Haq, known for banning music and other fine arts featuring women in the Islamic nation, could not remain untouched from the golden voice of Lata Mangeshkar and had once himself confessed that he was an admirer of India’s nightingale. Mangeshkar, 92, died at 8.12 am on Sunday in Mumbai due to multi-organ failure after over 28 days of COVID-19 diagnosis, her sister Usha Mangeshkar and doctors treating her said

According to an old interview, Zia confessed his admiration for Mangeshkar while talking with late Indian journalist Kuldip Nayar in 1982.

Nayar poked Zia by asking that the Indians say that whenever they want to bring some cultural troupe to the neighbouring country, it is not quite welcome in Pakistan.
The troupe apparently consisted of some leading female singers, including the legendary Lata Mageshkar.

Zia, who by that time had launched his project of Islamising Pakistan, said, I am the man responsible. I myself am fond of Lata Mangeshkar but if you want to send her to Pakistan to sing, I’ll say not now because it is not compatible with the current Pakistani spirit.

Zia took over the government in a military coup in 1977 after deposing the elected government of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, whom he got hanged in a murder case through his hand-picked judges.