Pakistani folk singer Reshma dies in Lahore

Pakistani folk singer Reshma died Sunday in Lahore after battling throat cancer, Dawn News reported. Her exact age was not known. Reshma was born in Bikaner, Rajasthan, around the time her family migrated to Karachi in 1947, Dawn News reported. She was discovered by a television and radio producer singing at Shahbaz Qalander's shrine when she was 12 years old. The producer arranged for her to record her first single, "Laal Meri," which became an instant hit in Pakistan. Reshma went on to become one of the most popular folk singers of Pakistan. She made a number of television appearances and recorded songs for Pakistani and Indian films. She received a number of awards, including the "Sitara-i-Imtiaz" award and the "Legends Of Pakistan" award, given by the president of Pakistan. "She broke the silence of the desert. #Reshma. A voice so wounded, pain became the song," Indian journalist Farzana Versey said in a Twitter post. "Just heard of singer Reshma's death. Recall meeting and listening to her several times over decades. May her soul rest in peace," author and journalist Sadia Dehlvi tweeted.