PESHAWAR: The local people thronged the Ladies’ Club to enjoy cultural music, dances and cuisine on the last day of the two-day summer festival on Sunday evening.

The festival was organised jointly by the Tourism Corporation Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (TCKP) and district administration. Dr Aftab Akbar Durrani, the secretary of sports, tourism, culture, archaeology, museums and youth affairs, was chief guest at the concluding ceremony.

“Peshawar has been facing stressful time for the last so many years and such festivals are held to cheer up people of Peshawar,” said Deputy Commissioner Riaz Mehsud, who visited the venue to check security measures. He added that there would be many more such events to show the true face of Peshawar and its people.

Music bands Raksin Bismal, Khalid Malik and classic singer Nida Faiz mesmerised the audience with their melodious voices and performance. The troupes also presented traditional Mehsud, Khattak and Attan dances.

Visitors enjoy cultural music, dances and cuisine on the concluding day

Later, the families thronged the stalls presenting traditional food, handicrafts, gemstones, jewellery, Charsadda shoes, Chitrali embroidery, shawls and readymade garments depicting local culture and traditions.

There were several stalls specially established for the children to get their faces painted with various colours. Quiz and magic shows were also part of the activities besides establishing a play land for the children and awarding prizes to them.

“We arranged the first ever summer festival in a bid to provide an opportunity of enjoyment and entertainment to the Peshawarites, particularly the womenfolk and children and to bring smiles on their faces,” said Dr Aftab Akbar Durrani.

He said that more such programmes were also in the pipeline to promote peace and tourism in the province. He said that the events aimed at providing recreational and entertainment facilities to the people at their doorstep and also let them know about their culture and traditions.

The families and participants appreciated the TCKP and the district administration endeavours for arranging such events in the terror-hit city of Peshawar, which was once known as the “city of flowers”.

Besides scores of families and visitors, Sports and Tourism Additional Secretary Naeem Anwar Sadozai, TCKP Managing Director Mushtaq Ahmad Khan, General Manager Mohammad Ali Syed, and Additional Deputy Commissioner Osama Waraich also attended the event.

Published in Dawn, May 25th, 2015

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