LONDON: Pakistan’s famed qawwal Rahat Fateh Ali Khan is set to receive an honorary degree from the prestigious Oxford University on Wednesday.
The celebrated singer has already arrived in the United Kingdom to attend the June 26 event where he would be presented with the honorary degree — Doctor of Music — from Oxford University.
In a statement, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan said: “I am honoured to be accepting this degree from Oxford University, a world famous educational institution.
“This will be a very special day for my family and I, but also for my fans, who have shared this journey with me. To be presented with this honour is a massive achievement and I am happy that my music has allowed me to reach such incredible heights.”
Khan, subsequently, will lead a performance at the Oxford Town Hall on June 27, wherein his family legacy and his career would be explored. Funds from the event will be donated for the enhancement of the Faculty of Music’s Sounds of South Asia series, the statement added.
Rahat Fateh Ali Khan has earlier performed at the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony.
In 2017, Oxford University named one of its rehearsal rooms to honour Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, making him the first South Asian artist to receive such a tribute.
The same year, Prince Charles appointed Rahat Fateh Ali Khan as the ambassador of the British Asian Trust charity.
Prior to that, in 2016, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan was presented with a lifetime achievement award by Oxford University. He then became the first Pakistani to have received this honour, which was previously awarded to India’s Amitabh Bachchan.
