Obaidullah Jan Kandaharai ( ps, عبیدالله جان کندهاری, translit=Obāidullāh Jān Kāndāhāri ), or simply known as Obaidullah Jan, was a
singer
Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music ( arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or withou ...
from
Kandahar
Kandahar (; Kandahār, , Qandahār) is a city in Afghanistan, located in the south of the country on the Arghandab River, at an elevation of . It is Afghanistan's second largest city after Kabul, with a population of about 614,118. It is the c ...
,
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
.
He was popular among the
Pashtuns
Pashtuns (, , ; ps, پښتانه, ), also known as Pakhtuns or Pathans, are an Iranian ethnic group who are native to the geographic region of Pashtunistan in the present-day countries of Afghanistan and Pakistan. They were historically re ...
in southern Afghanistan and in
Quetta
Quetta (; ur, ; ; ps, کوټه) is the tenth most populous city in Pakistan with a population of over 1.1 million. It is situated in south-west of the country close to the International border with Afghanistan. It is the capital of th ...
, Pakistan. He brought some new style to traditional
Pashto music
Pashto music ( ps, ) or ''Də ṭang-ṭakór'' is commonly performed in Afghanistan and Pakistan among Pashtun people.
Genres Tappa
Tappa ( ps, ټپه) is the oldest and most popular genre of the Pashto poetry. The Tappa is a composition of ...
and was considered a classical singer. He recorded many albums with lyrics written by
Sayed
''Sayyid'' (, ; ar, سيد ; ; meaning 'sir', 'Lord', 'Master'; Arabic plural: ; feminine: ; ) is a surname of people descending from the Islamic prophet Muhammad through his grandsons, Hasan ibn Ali and Husayn ibn Ali, sons of Muhammad' ...
Abdul Khaliq Agha, a famous
Pashto poet from Kandahar, Afghanistan.
Obaidullah Jan's songs are enjoyed by many of the
Pashtun diaspora
The Pashtun diaspora comprises all ethnic Pashtuns and their descendants who are living outside of their traditional homeland of Pashtunistan, a historic region that is today situated over parts of Afghanistan and Pakistan. While Pashtunistan ...
around the world, especially the Pashtuns from the Kandahar-Quetta region and those living in
Karachi
Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former ...
, Pakistan. He was also recognized by other Afghans who understood Pashto language.
Death
During the Soviet-backed
Democratic Republic of Afghanistan
The Democratic Republic of Afghanistan (DRA),, renamed the Republic of Afghanistan, in 1987, was the Afghan state during the one-party rule of the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) from 1978 to 1992.
The PDPA came to power ...
, Ubaidullah Jan was secretly crossing the
Durand Line
The Durand Line ( ps, د ډیورنډ کرښه; ur, ), forms the Pakistan–Afghanistan border, a international land border between Pakistan and Afghanistan in South Asia. The western end runs to the border with Iran and the eastern end to th ...
into Pakistan with two females when he was murdered by a rogue commander of
Ismatullah Muslim.
[ It is believed that Ubaidullah Jan was about 32 years old at the time of death, and that the killing was over proceeds relating to his music. He was buried by Ismatullah Muslim's followers at an unknown place, but very likely somewhere in the Spin Boldak District of ]Kandahar Province
Kandahār ( ps, ; Kandahār, prs, ; ''Qandahār'') is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan, located in the southern part of the country, sharing a border with Pakistan, to the south. It is surrounded by Helmand in the west, Uruzgan ...
.
See also
*List of Afghan singers
This is a list of notable Afghan singers that have entered the industry, currently working or have left the industry.
__NOTOC__
A
* Ahmad Wali
*Ahmad Zahir
* Aryana Sayeed
*Abdul Rahim Sarban
* Amir Jan Sabori
* Awalmir
* Asad Badie
* Aziz Hera ...
*List of Pashto-language singers
This is a list of Pashto language, Pashto-language singers.
* Ahmad Zahir
* Aryana Sayeed
* Ali Baba Khan
* Haroon Bacha
* Irfan Khan (singer), Irfan Khan
* Awalmir, Ustad Awalmir
* Bacha Zareen, Bacha Zareen Jan
* Bakhtiar khattak
* Mangal ...
References
Further reading
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External links
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Facebook – Obaidullah Jan Kandahari
Pashtun singers
Assassinated people
Pashto-language singers
People from Kandahar
1951 births
1983 deaths
20th-century Afghan male singers
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