Remembering the 'King of Qawwali', Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan on his birth anniversary

Pakistan is remembering today the legendary qawwali singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan on his 70th birth anniversary.

Known as the king of qawwali, the maestro was born in Faisalabad on October 13 1948 into a family of qawwals being the fifth child of qawwal Fateh Ali Khan.

The music icon producing over 125 albums during his career had delivered his first public performance at the age of 16 at his father's chehlum (40th day of mourning for a deceased). The icon had gone to receive massive acclaim in not just the country but had become a symbol of splendor with his unrivaled vocals and musical credentials and also holds the credit of taking qawwali music on a widespread international scale.

He also collaborated with numerous distinguished names in the music industry around the world including Eddie Vedder, Peter Gabriel, Jeff Buckley, Michael Brook.

His most acclaimed musical pieces include Allah Hoo, Yeh Jo Halka Halka Suroor Hai, Afreen Afreen and Piya Re Piya Re.

The maestro breathed his last on August 16 1997 at the age of 48 but remains alive in the hearts of people all around the world even today.