SUKKUR: The Baloch community of Jacobabad celebrated their culture day by taking out a rally and dancing in the streets on Saturday.

The programme featuring a rally, cultural shows, folk music and theatrical performances, display of cultural heritage dresses and other objects etc was organised by the Mazdoor Shehri Ittehad (MSI) and Balochistan National Party (BNP) and Baloch Students Organisation (BSO).

The revellers along with singers and musicians started their march from the BNP office and after marching through the streets of Jacobabad for hours converged on the local press club, where they continued to sing Balochi songs and dance on their traditional music.

Much enthusiasm was witnessed when men, women and children clad in colourful Baloch dresses with traditional embroidery danced to the tunes of folk music.

Men wearing white turbans, Balochi shalwar kameez and typical caps proudly roamed around intermittently joining the dance and raised slogans to galvanise their cultural values.

A few BNP and MSI leaders delivered brief speeches to highlight Baloch culture and traditions amid intermittent slogans of ‘Pakistan, Zindabad’, ‘Pak Army, Zindabad’, ‘Balochi Qaum Zindabad’ and ‘Balochi Culture Zindabad’.

Speaking to the participants, Haji Ghulam Nabi Rind, Gulab Khan Mengal, Dil Murad Lashari and others said it was heartening to see that the Baloch Culture Day was being celebrated across the country.

They said the Baloch community had a history of sustained struggle for its rights which was waged in Pakistan and abroad by its brave leaders. Baloch people had always been in the forefront whenever Pakistan came face to face with its enemies, they said.

They reaffirmed Baloch people’s full support to the armed forces of Pakistan in the fight against India and any other hostile forces.

They said the Baloch Culture Day celebration was a message to the world that all entities in Pakistan were united like a rock for peace in the region.

Published in Dawn, March 3rd, 2019