Pathanay Khan

Pathanay Khan was a legendary Saraiki folk singer from Pakistan. He mostly sang Kafis or Ghazals in Saraiki language, usually drawing on the Sufi poetry of Khwaja Ghulam Farid and Shah Hussain. He was born in 1926 in the village Basti Tambu Wali, situated in the heart of the Thal Desert, several miles from Kot Addu. He started his career at the age of 14 from Radio Pakistan, Lahore. He was given the name Pathanay Khan by a spiritual leader's daughter who cured him of a serious illness. He became very popular for his singing style and voice that could captivate his listeners for hours. He was totally devoted to Khwaja Farid and gave his own deeper meaning to his poetry. He sang over 12,000 songs and won a number of awards, including the Pride of Performance Award in 1979 by the President of Pakistan. He also performed at hundreds of musical concerts in and outside Pakistan. He died in Kot Addu on 9 March 2000 at the age of 74.