Ayla Musharraf or Ayla Raza is a Pakistani woman who is known for being the daughter of former army chief and president of Pakistan Pervez Musharraf. She is the Director of the All Pakistan Music Conference (APMC), Karachi.
Wiki/Biography
Ayla Musharraf was born on Wednesday, 18 February 1970 (age 52 years; as of 2022). Since childhood, she was interested in classical music. She started studying architecture at Dawood Engineering College in Karachi. However, in the late ’80s, when Karachi was plagued by student unrest Ayla relocated to Lahore and enrolled herself in the National College of Arts (NCA), where she pursued a Bachelor of Architecture. A student at NCA, she spent her college days attending concerts organised by the All Pakistan Music Conference (APMC) and the Lahore Music Forum. She also learned classical music during her college days. Born into a family of music lovers, she attributes her inclination toward music to her paternal grandparents. Her grandfather, Syed Musharraf, used to play the tabla, while her grandmother, Zarin Musharraf, played the harmonium. Additionally, her father, Pervez Musharraf, is into ghazals, which she grew up listening to. After her marriage, she settled in Karachi, where met Hayat Ahmed Khan (founder of APMC) at a dance festival. During her meeting with Hayat, Ayla proposed the idea of organising concerts in Karachi. She succeeded in persuading Hayat and organised the first concert by APMC Karachi materialised in 2004. While talking about the same in an interview, she said,
Hayat sahib was kind and encouraging. He put me in touch with some classical music enthusiasts in Karachi, and also attended our inaugural event in the city.”
Family
Parents & Siblings
She was born into a Muslim family, who were also Sayyids, claiming descent from Prophet Muhammad. Ayla Musharraf’s father, Pervez Musharraf, is a politician from Pakistan and a retired four-star general of the Pakistan Army, who is known to lead the Kargil War against India in 1999. He served as the 10th President of Pakistan from 2001 until tendering his resignation in 2008. Ayla’s mother’s name is Sehba Musharraf. Her grandfather, Syed Musharraf, was in foreign services. Ayla’s younger brother, Bilal Musharraf, is a Pakistani actuary (chartered accountant) and an educationist.
Ayla Musharraf with her parents and brother
Parents of Ayla Musharraf, Pervez Musharraf and Sehba Musharraf
