KARACHI, Dec 07 (INP): The second death anniversary of renowned religious scholar and Naat Khwan Junaid Jamshed was observed on Friday.

Special prayers were offered for the departed soul of the renowned scholar across the country and special ceremonies were held in this connection.

Junaid Jamshed saw a deadly crash near Havelian in the foothills of the Himalayas. The PIA aircraft ATR-42 turboprop plane, operating flight PK-661, was carrying 47 passengers and crew members on board. Renowned Naat Khwan and former pop singer Junaid Jamshed along with his wife were amongst those onboard.

The plane took off from Chitral in the late afternoon and crashed about an hour later in the Havelian area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, about 125 km north of Islamabad. The plane was completely destroyed in the crash and all passengers on board passed away.

The former singing sensation of the 90s, Junaid Jamshed was amongst those who were killed in the crash leaving a huge hole in the heart of many Pakistanis, especially those who had grown up listening to his tunes.

Thousands of Karachiites attended his funeral and gave him the last salute.

Junaid Jamshed along with his band Vital Sings was behind ‘Dil Dil Pakistan’, also popularly known as the second national anthem of the country. His other hits include ‘Tum Mil Gaye’, ‘Sanwali Saloni’, and ‘Woh Kaun Thee’.

Junaid 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 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. He then enrolled at the University of Engineering and Technology in Lahore in 1985, graduated as an engineer.

INP/SB/AJ