Singer Mala’s 22nd death anniversary was observed on Tuesday. Mala was born November 09, 1939 in Faisalabad. She was a playback singer of Urdu and Punjabi films.

Mala's given name was Naseem Nazli. She was the younger sister of music composer Shamim Nazli. Naseem was interested in singing and music from a young age. Fortunately, her elder sister happened to be her first music teacher and Naseem learnt the essentials of music from her.

On Shamim Nazli's request, music composer, Baba Ghulam Ahmed Chishti recorded two songs for the Punjabi film Aabroo (1961) in Naseem's voice. However, the film flopped and didn't attain success. Despite the fact that her elder sister got her a break in films, it was Anwar Kamal Pasha who persuaded Naseem to try her luck in the Pakistani film industry.

Her first major break in films came in 1962. She changed her name to Mala and sang a simple Urdu composition, Aaya re dekho for the film Sooraj Mukhi (1962). The music was composed by Master Abdullah and the film went on to become a memorable film. In 1963, Mala rendered her voice to a tragic Urdu composition, Dil daeta hai for the film Ishq pe zor nahin (1963). The music was composed by Inayat Hussain Bhatti and the song was picturised on Yasmin.

Additionally, Mala's greatest accomplishment was Akele na jana. Mala teamed up with Sohail Rana. In 1962, Mala won the Nigar Award best singer for the film Ishq pe zor nahi. In 1965, she won the Nigar Award for best singer for the film Naila. The last days of Mala were fraught with loneliness and misery. She could not come to grips with the harsh realities of life. Over and above, she found herself in the midst of deep financial crisis. Mala died on March 6, 1990.