Mian Sheheryar

Mian Sheheryar was born in Lahore, Punjab, British India in 1927.^[1] After completing his basic education, he obtained a master's degree from the University of the Punjab, Lahore. He started his career with Radio Pakistan, Lahore as a singer in 1948. In 1954, he recorded some of his compositions with the His Master's Voice label. Then he worked with some well-known musicians of the time including Niaz Hussain Shami, Sharif Ghaznavi, Ustad Sardar Khan and Feroz Nizami.^[2]

He joined the Pakistani Television at its Lahore center since its inception in 1964, and worked there for over 40 years until his death in 2011. He is credited with introducing many singers – Naseem Begum (only on PTV - Ghulam Ahmed Chishti had already introduced her in film Guddi Gudda (1956)), classical music and ghazal singer Hamid Ali Khan, Irene Perveen, folk singer Iqbal Bahu, Shabnam Majeed and Hadiqa Kiani. These singers achieved success later in the Pakistani film industry and television.^[1][2][3]

Some of the Pakistani folk singers he helped develop their career include Suraiya Khanum and Tarannum Naz.^[2]

Some of his music assistants that had worked with him at the PTV television center at Lahore, later became accomplished composers themselves - for example, his former harmonium player Rafiq Hussain (d. 2020) later became a music composer himself.^[4]

• Pride of Performance Award by the President of Pakistan in 1992.^[1]