ISLAMABAD-The 10th death anniversary of the renowned singer known as ‘Shehenshah-e-Ghazal’ Mehdi Hassan Khan was observed Tuesday.  Mehdi Hassan Khan reigned over the hearts of millions of admirers in Pakistan and India through his more than 25,000 songs and ghazals.
Mehdi Hassan was born on July 18,1927 in Rajasthan, to a family of musicians. In order to keep up with the tradition, the singer began training under his father and mentor, Ustaadh Azeem Khan as well as his uncle Ustaadh Ismail Khan. Mehdi Hassan pursued an early interest in Urdu poetry and composed soulful songs that drew from the works of contemporary poets, including Faiz Ahmad Faiz. In 1957, he was given the opportunity to sing on Radio Pakistan, primarily as a Thumri singer. He was honoured with numerous awards including Nishan-e-Imtiaz, Tamgha-e-Imtiaz, Pride of Performance and Hilal-e-Imtiaz by the Government of Pakistan. 
He sang for over 300 films during his music career. Mehdi Hassan died on  June 13, 2012 after a protracted illness in Karachi.