It takes more than just skill to replace an established musician of a famous band and steering the band in a new direction. Haider Hashimi did just that for Aaroh when its founding member and celebrated guitarist Nabeel Nihal Chishty left the band after gifting fans with the rocking album, Sawaal. But little did we know that Hashimi’s guitar solo wouldn’t last too long. The 40-year-old passed away on Sunday night after being diagnosed with brain tumour.
“Very sad to hear about Haider Hashmi passing away today. He was a great guitar player and a good guy … will miss our 80s rock jams. RIP, my friend. Hope you’re up there jamming with Bonzo and Hendrix,” guitarist Asad Ahmed posted on Facebook.
Hashmi was the father of three children, with the eldest son in his mid teens and the youngest, only a few months old. He was diagnosed with brain tumour a few weeks ago after which, he was immediately taken to the hospital, where he underwent surgery. According to his close friends, he was recovering from the surgery and had been interacting with friends for the past few days till he complained of breathlessness.
“I spoke to him a while back and everything was fine until his son called to inform me that he is having difficulty breathing and is being rushed to the hospital,” Khalid Khan, bassist of Aaroh and Hashimi’s close friend told The Express Tribune. “And after a while, I heard the sad news.”
Singer Abbas Ali Khan took to Facebook to express his condolences: “Haider passed away. May his soul rest in peace. Bus yeh hai zindagi. Haider was not only an amazing guitarist, but also one of the nicest human beings I have come across.”
On the music front, Hashimi’s journey didn’t stop at Aaroh as he went on to become one of the most sought-after session musicians in Pakistan. From Ali Azmat to Atif Aslam to Ali Zafar, he played for music bigwits, proving his mettle.
A v talented guitar player&a lovely human being Haider Hashmi passes away. He had played gtr on my song "Jazba".R.i.p pic.twitter.com/EqFhgSLXtj
— Ali Zafar (@AliZafarsays) July 6, 2014
After Hashimi joined Aaroh, the band went on to create some of its most memorable songs amongst which Na Kaho was loved by many for its melody and PKJ (Pyar Ka Jaal) for its groove. Following the exit of its lead vocalist Farooq Ahmed, the band stopped producing music for a while. Later, Hashimi along with the other two members, Khan and Jason Anthony, relaunched the band with Rizwan Anwar as the new vocalist. “Such a huge loss,” Omran Shafique (Momo) commented on Facebook. “Haider Hashimi, great guitarist, musician and human being passed away at 40. My condolences to his family.”
Published in The Express Tribune, July 8th, 2014.
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