Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan was the voice of the nation. He remains one of the most beloved singers in our country—his voice is sweeter than honey, and his poetry is deeper than an ocean. Nusrat dominated the 90s in Pakistan. It is my era, memories of my carefree childhood flash back daily. I could not imagine a moment growing up when Nusrat was not playing in the background. He was always there, always present, a part of our subconscious. His passing away was a loss felt so deeply by all of us. I remember, on 14th August, 1997, Pakistan turned 50 years old. A young country, and I was part of the school choir. We were selected as a group to sing Nusrat’s new national song on Independence Day. I remember rehearsing for that song, day and night- we practiced and polished it to perfection. On the day of recording, we stayed in the Pakistan National Television (PTV) center for an entire day, just to record that one song. On 14th August, 1997, for all of us, Pakistan became Nusrat, and Nusrat became Pakistan. The entirety of our experience in that country was all about Nusrat and will always be. Here is a short video on Nusrat’s Pakistan.