Singer Arif Lohar regales Pakistanis in Riyadh

The king of Punjabi folk songs and Pakistani heartthrob, Arif Lohar, delivered an enthralling performance for fellow nationals here on Thursday.
The show was held at the King Fahd Cultural Hall and organized by the Pakistan Embassy in Riyadh under the patronage of its ambassador, Muhammed Naeem Khan.
Lohar used a native musical instrument resembling steel tongs (called Chimta) — a traditional tool used by blacksmiths — to belt out some of his most popular numbers. He is the son of the famous folk singer, the late Alam Lohar.
Introducing Lohar, Minister and Deputy Chief of the Mission at the Pakistani embassy in Riyadh, Khayyam Akbar, recalled that in 2005 Lohar was awarded the Pride of Performance Award from the government of Pakistan — the highest civil award in the country.
“Lohar has more than 150 albums to his credit with more than 3,000 recorded songs mostly in the Punjabi language. In 2006, he made headlines in the Punjabi music world by releasing his album 21st Century Jugni, which took him to the peak of his popularity amongst his fans worldwide,” Akbar added.
The diplomat said that in June 2010, Lohar participated in Coke-Studio — a live Pakistani session program by Rohail Hayat.
Lohar is the only South Asian artist to have performed in North Korea — as part of an international delegation of peace and goodwill — before the late President Kim Jong-il.
Lohar has had over 50 foreign tours around the world during the last two decades, including to the United Kingdom, United States and the United Arab Emirates.
Lohar has also played multiple lead roles in Punjabi movies, and sang and produced three songs for the soundtrack of Syed Noor's film Jugni, the highest grossing Pakistani film of 2012.
During the performance, Lohar sang Jugni dee to huge cheers from the crowd. His band had a drummer, keyboard players, lead guitarist and chorus singers including a woman.
During the performance, the crowd urged him to sing some of his popular songs. He responded by singing each requested song. While performing, he mingled with the crowd who cheered, clapped and whistled.
Lohar sang his famous numbers including Meriya Jugne O Naam Ali Da, Aj Kaala Jora Paya Teri Furmaish Te, Meriya Jugnee Jee, Alif Allah (Jugni), Ek Pal, Bol Mitti Da, Sher Punjab Da, Soniye, Aakhian – and many more.
Winding up the program, Khan said he was happy to have organized such a cultural event and promised more in future.