ISLAMABAD, Sept 29: To mark the 20th death anniversary of prolific singer Tufail Niazi, Lok Virsa organised a musical evening at Shakarparian where artists, including his sons - Babar and Javed - and brother Qurban Niazi performed.

A large number of family members, friends, fans, artists and musicians paid tributes to the iconic singer.

Tufail Niazi was one of the greatest Pakistani singers and achieved fame with his famous song ‘Sada Chirian Da Chambha’. He also had the honour of singing the first song aired on Pakistan Television after its establishment.

His other famous songs are ‘Layee Beqadran Naal Yaari’, ‘Mein Nai Jana Kheriyan De Nal’ and many more. His voice was full of deep pathos and he excelled in describing bonds which are unbreakable, such as the love of a daughter and father. Niazi made his first public appearance as a singer when he was eight years old. Before independence, he used to sing at the famous Harbalb Mela (festival) near Jullundur, where leading Indian singers used to perform.

After independence, he migrated to Multan and began selling milk and curd until 1949 when a police inspector recognised him and arranged a concert for him to perform in.