He had honed his acting skills by taking part in plays broadcast on the radio. He later moved to Karachi and began his career as an actor.

Pakistan Television play Urta Asman, directed by Shahzad was his debut performance. Teesra Kinara was his first popular television play: Shafi became a household name. He earned accolades for his acting in many plays, especially Chand Girahan, Dairey, Aanch, Bund Gulab and Mohabbat Khawab Ki Surat. Shafi acted in all mediums of entertainment, from radio, theatre to films and television.

During his 30-year career he had performed in over 50 drama serials and over 100 television plays in the Urdu and Sindhi languages on different television channels. He died on November 17‚ 2007‚ in Karachi.