Naseebo Lal Reveals She’s Become a Grandmother, Dismisses ‘Fake News’ About Giving Birth at 56

Another day, another piece of celebrity misinformation. After Abida Parveen laid rumours of her cancer diagnosis to rest on Tuesday, fellow singer Naseebo Lal has come out refuting news that she had a baby. The star clarified her son had been blessed with a child, making her a grandmother.

Reports of the singer having a child at the age of 56 circulated widely on social media on Tuesday, being shared by Facebook and Instagram pages without verification. Fans expressed their well wishes for the Punjabi music icon and congratulated her.

The news seems to have originated from a photo she posted on Tuesday of the newborn child with the caption, “Betay kay liye koi khubsurat aur munfard naam tajweez karein, asking people to suggest a unique and beautiful name for her “beta”, which translates directly to son but is often used as a general term of endearment for children.

The star made another post just hours later saying, “Important announcement. Stay away from fake news.” The confirmation, however, came on Wednesday with two posts, one saying, “Praise be to God, I have become a dadi” and another thanking fans and well wishers for their love.

Lal is a veteran playback singer, with her IMDB page showing credits on films as far back as 2000. She sings in both Urdu and Punjabi and is known more recently for her song ‘Tu Jhoom’, which she performed to much acclaim on Coke Studio’s 14th season with Parveen — one of the biggest living names in in sufi music.

She also worked with Aima Baig and Young Stunners on ‘Groove Mera’, the official anthem of the sixth Pakistan Super League. The song proved widely unpopular, with fans taking to social media to express their disappointment.

Misinformation on the internet is a serious problem with ‘news’ being shared online as fact, without any verification. On Monday, reports were circulating that Parveen had developed cancer and was in bad shape; her team issued a statement the next day refuting the rumours and assuring fans the singer was “perfectly healthy”.