Attaullah Khan Niazi, SI PP (Punjabi, Pashto: عطااللہ خان نیازی) (born August 19, 1951), known professionally as Attaullah Khan Esakhelvi, also known as Lala (meaning "elder brother" in Pashto and Punjabi), is a Pakistani musician from Isakhel, Mianwali, Punjab. Esakhelvi was born on August 19,1951, in Esa Kheil, Mianwali, Punjab Province, Pakistan, as Attaullah Khan Niazi. Niazi is a populous Pashtun tribe based in the north-west Punjab province of Pakistan and the eastern regions of Afghanistan. Attaullah developed an interest in music as a child, but music was strictly forbidden in his home. Despite the restrictions on music in his home, Attaullah secretly sought to learn more about music. His school teacher taught him Mohammed Rafi and Mukesh songs and told him never to stop singing. Attaullah tried to explain his passion for music to his parents and convince them to let him sing, but they forbade him to continue singing. Disillusioned, Attaullah left home when he was 18 years old. He traveled extensively within Pakistan and supported himself by working from Mianwali. He is most popular in rural areas of Pakistan and many other countries in the world Esakhelvi continued his training after leaving his parents' home and often recorded himself on cassette tapes that he later distributed. In 1972, Esakhelvi was invited to perform on Radio Pakistan, Bahawalpur. That same year, he performed in a concert in Mianwali, Punjab, Pakistan. Esakhelvi performed on the television show Neelam Ghar in 1973. He was invited by a company in Faisalabad to record folk songs in their studio, and he recorded four albums in one recording session.[4] The albums were released at the end of 1977 and became national bestsellers. In 1980, Esakhelvi performed in the United Kingdom for the first time. It was also his first concert abroad. His albums were eventually released in the UK under various labels, including Hi-Tech, OSA, and Moviebox. He has performed Na`at and Kalaam by famous Sufi poets, such as Mian Muhammad Bakhsh's Saiful Maluk and Bulleh Shah's Keey Bay Dardan Sang Yaree. He also sang the song of S M Sadiq a famous lyricist who has written songs in Punjabi, Urdu, and Hindi. Attaullah Khan visited India in 2014. The Times of India wrote: "A Sufi concert, Ibaadat, organized in association with the Navbharat Times, was recently held at Purana Quila in the capital. Pakistani folk singer Attaullah Khan performed for the first time in Delhi at this event. Khan sang his Achha Sila Diya Tune Mere Pyaar Ka and other Pakistani Sufi hits for the audience. The concert was organized by the AAS group, an NGO that works to spread awareness about cervical cancer among women and ways to prevent it, and this concert was organized to spread that message."