[1][3] Zareen's father, Nawab Khalil, was an adviser in the court of Maharaja of Patiala and her mother was a housewife.
[3] She achieving national and international recognition at a very young age and in 1958, she was awarded Sitara-i-Imtiaz by the President of Pakistan Ayub Khan.
[1] In 1959, she also did a performance for President of United States Dwight D. Eisenhower during his visit to Pakistan at The Palace Hotel.
[3] In 1961, she did a classical performance for Queen Elizabeth II when she visited Pakistan with her husband Prince Philip.
[3] She was invited by former prime minister Feroz Khan Noon to perform in front of King of Afghanistan Mohammed Zahir Shah.
[3] For her contributions towards the television and film industry, she was honored by the Government of Pakistan with the Pride of Performance in 2018.