From Esakhel to radio

Folk singer Attaullah Khan Esakhelvi comes from Esakhel in Punjab’s Mianwali district. An Associated Press of Pakistan profile dates his birth to 1951 and describes an early interest in music despite family opposition. It reports that he sang in villages and was invited to Radio Pakistan in Bahawalpur in 1972, before appearing on the television programme Neelam Ghar. The agency also describes his early work with a Faisalabad recording company and later releases in Britain. Its account brings together radio, cassettes and live performance; it does not independently establish every sales figure or record claim repeated in the profile.[1]

The singer’s view of folk music

In a 2016 Express Tribune interview, Esakhelvi described folk performers as people who carry cultural traditions as well as sing. He spoke about themes of suffering in his work and the importance of festivals to his experience as a performer. The interview also discussed his appearance on the fourth season of Coke Studio, naming Pyaar Naal and Ni Oothaan Waale. Esakhelvi reflected on changes in recording companies and festivals at the time of the conversation. These are the singer’s views from 2016, not a complete account of the industry or evidence that all folk musicians worked in the same way.[2]

Remembering the cassette era

At the 2018 Lahore Music Meet, Esakhelvi discussed his career with Zulfiqar Ali Zulfi. Dawn reported his recollection that Faisalabad record producer Chaudhry Rehmat Ali recorded him and released four albums together. The singer connected his musical choices with the importance of love in his life and work. Dawn gives 1978 for that early recording, while the Associated Press profile places the release of four albums at the end of 1977; the precise chronology therefore needs further corroboration. The report records one public conversation.[3][1]

Sources & notes

Source records include access dates and, where known, limits on what was examined. Checks used AI assistance; independent human or specialist review has not been completed.

  1. Associated Press of Pakistan. Popular folk singer Attaullah Esakhelvi turns 72 ↗Written source · Source date: 2023-08-19 · Locator: Esakhel, radio and early recording. Accessed 2026-11-03.Selected written evidence inspected; recordings not reviewed.Return to From Esakhel to radio, paragraph 1 ↑Return to Remembering the cassette era, paragraph 1 ↑
  2. Adnan Lodhi; Attaullah Khan Esakhelvi. Attaullah Khan Esakhelvi on what makes him the common man’s artist ↗Written source · Source date: 2016-04-06 · Locator: Folk music, performance and Coke Studio. Accessed 2026-11-03.Selected written evidence inspected; recordings not reviewed.Return to The singer’s view of folk music, paragraph 1 ↑
  3. Sheharyar Rizwan. Music meet concludes with bigger attractions and audience ↗Written source · Source date: 2018-01-08 · Locator: Lahore Music Meet conversation about cassettes. Accessed 2026-11-03.Selected written evidence inspected; recordings not reviewed.Return to Remembering the cassette era, paragraph 1 ↑
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Record PH-PEO-0175 · English edition · human review not performed