Abida Parveen, born February 20, 1954, in Larkana, Sindh, Pakistan, is a Pakistani singer, composer, and musician specializing in Sufi music. Trained initially by her father, Ustad Ghulam Haider, and later by Ustad Salamat Ali Khan of the Sham Chaurasia gharana, she began performing at Sufi shrines in the early 1970s. She achieved her radio breakthrough in 1973 on Radio Pakistan with the Sindhi song “Tuhinje zulfan jay band kamand widha”. Her notable recordings include “Tere Ishq Nachaya” and “Yaar Ko Hamne” from her studio album Raqs-e-Bismil. Internationally, she has performed at venues including the Wembley Conference Centre in 1989 and the Royal Albert Hall in 2010. She has featured across multiple seasons of Coke Studio Pakistan, performing duets including “Mein Sufi Hoon” with Rais Khan in 2014, “Aaqa” with Ali Sethi in 2016, and “Tu Jhoom” with Naseebo Lal in 2022. Parveen was awarded the Pride of Performance in 1984, the Sitara-e-Imtiaz in 2005, the Hilal-e-Imtiaz in 2012, and the Nishan-e-Imtiaz in March 2021.
