Remembering Junaid Jamshed, PK-661 crash victims

ISLAMABAD: The first death anniversary of renowned singer turned Naat Khawan and religious preacher Junaid Jamshed is being observed on Thursday (December 7).

According to Radio Pakistan, he died on this day in a plane crash while returning to Islamabad from Chitral last year. Last year on December 7, PIA aircraft ATR-42 turboprop plane, operating flight PK-661, crashed near Havelian with 47 passengers and crew members on-board.

The plane took off from Chitral around 3:50 pm and PIA said the plane crashed at 1642 local time in the Havelian area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, about 125 km north of Islamabad.

Eyewitnesses said they had seen the plane crash into a hilly area near Havelian close to the Ordnance Factory.

Junaid Jamshed, a name that many from the 90s remember with fondness for heartwarming songs such as 'Dil Dil Pakistan', 'Tum Mil Gaye', 'Sanwali Saloni', and 'Woh Kaun Thee' rose to fame two decades ago when he joined Vital Signs, a then-underground band that was awarded a record deal when it was noticed during a live concert.

The widely-admired singer never actually intended to opt for a career in music and tried his hand in the Pakistan Air Force as an F-16 fighter pilot.

However, his weak eyesight held him back from his dream, and he only served a short stint in PAF as a civilian contractor. After having unprecedented success, without any marketing or promotion, Jamshed and Vital Signs went their separate ways in 1998, as the former chose a solo musical career. The band had spearheaded the under appreciated and relatively unknown rock scene to a national level during their peak.

His solo road wasn't as smooth as he thought it to be; sometime after 2000, he vanished from the public platform, while rumours arose of him facing financial pitfalls.

Finally, mid-last decade, Jamshed declared bankruptcy, abandoned music after learning its position in religion, and announced his decision to become a devout Muslim. Alongside, he launched a clothing line under the name J. in order to maintain an income source.

Jamshed, who had two major sides in his life, was remembered admirably for both. In the latter half of his 52-year-long life, he promoted religion and went to talk on various platforms on how to achieve personal and spiritual growth.

Junaid was awarded the Tamgha-e-Imtiaz in 2007. He has sung a number of Naats, Hamds and has been travelling in many parts of the world spreading the message of Islam.

Junaid Jamshed and his second wife died on December 7, 2016 when PIA Flight 661 crashed in Havelian.