Shafaullah Khan Rokhri (1966 – 29 August 2020) was one of the most beloved and prolific Saraiki folk singers of his generation, widely regarded as second in popularity only to Attaullah Khan Esakhelvi among the folk artists of South Punjab. He was born in the rural village of Rokhri, near Mianwali in Punjab, Pakistan, and adopted his village’s name as part of his stage identity, a tradition common among Saraiki folk singers.
Before turning to music full-time, Rokhri briefly served as a constable in the Punjab Police, but his passion for singing drew him away from law enforcement and into a music career that began in earnest during the 1980s. He quickly built a devoted following across South Punjab, Sindh and the Pakistani diaspora with his warm, distinctive voice and his renditions of Saraiki folk classics filled with themes of love, longing and rural life.
Over his career, Rokhri released dozens of albums and became a defining voice of the modern Saraiki folk sound, performing regularly at live shows, weddings and cultural festivals across Pakistan. He and his son, singer Zeeshan Khan Rokhri, went on to build their own music label, Rokhri Productions, which continues to release and preserve Saraiki folk recordings today, extending his musical legacy to a new generation.
Shafaullah Khan Rokhri passed away on 29 August 2020 in Islamabad due to cardiac arrest, leaving behind an extensive catalogue of recordings that remain immensely popular among Saraiki and Punjabi folk music audiences.
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