Pakistani fans pay tribute as Lata Mangeshkar dies at 92
The death of iconic singer Lata Mangeshkar on Sunday affected not just Indians but Pakistanis too as tributes poured in from the neighboring country. It quickly became Pakistan's top trend on Twitter soon after the news broke. Among the notable figures who paid tribute was Pakistan's Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry, describing her death as "the end of an era."
Why does the story matter?
The mourning from the Pakistanis echoed the international fan-base that Mangeshkar had on the other side of the border. Though India and Pakistan share a complicated relationship since 1947, the demise of the legendary singer united both nations in grieving for the loss. Besides Pakistan, tributes also poured in from other countries including the US and Bangladesh.
Mangeshkar ruled the world of music for decades: Pak minister
"Lata Mangeshkar's death marks the end of an era in music. She ruled the world of music for decades and the magic of her voice will live forever," tweeted Chaudhry. "Wherever Urdu is spoken and understood, there are crowds of people saying goodbye to Lata Mangeshkar," he added. In a different tweet in English, Chaudhry said Mangeshkar "ruled the world of music for decades."
Pakistanis take to Twitter to pay tribute
"Not a single house in India-Pakistan where people did not listen and enjoy your music," tweeted a user Muhammad Tahir. Similarly, another user shared a photo of a Pakistani news channel featuring Mangeshkar with the caption "Artist is Universal." Almost every television channel in Pakistan, including Pakistan Television, a state-run channel, broadcasted the news of Mangeshkar's death, as reported by PTI.
Pakistani channels air the news of demise
Lata Mangeshkar was suffering from COVID-19 and pneumonia
Earlier in January, Mangeshkar was admitted to the ICU in a hospital in Mumbai after testing positive for COVID-19. She was also suffering from pneumonia. She showed signs of marginal improvement in the ICU and the doctors took her off the ventilator on January 28. However, her condition began to deteriorate on February 5 and she was put back on the ventilator.
