RAWALPINDI: A one-day cultural programme was organised at Punjab Arts Council in collaboration with Azad Kashmir Youth and Culture Department.

The special guest of the programme was Azad Jammu and Kashmir Minister Akbar Ibrahim, while secretary Youth and Culture Department Chaudhry Raqib, Coordinator to Prime Minister Imran Jafri, Sports Youth and Culture Director General Mehrban Chaudhry, Director (Sports) Amjad Mughal and Cultural Officer Liaquat joined the event as special guests.

Mr Ibrahim said that the purpose of the festival was to highlight Kashmiri culture in the twin cities.

According to geologists, Kashmir was a free and independent state in 5,000 BC. In 1586, the sun of Kashmir’s independence had set in such a way that the glory of independence was extinguished forever.

When the sub-continent was partitioned in 1947, there was hope in the hearts of Kashmiris that they would be able to decide their own destiny, but Kashmir came out of the clutches of old and weak imperialism only to get caught in the clutches of powerful colonialists, Mr Ibrahim said.

Director of the arts council Waqar Ahmed said that poets and writers play the most important role in keeping the culture of any nation alive.

Sohail Abbasi and Khwaja Ubaidur Rehman presented a Sufi speech. Henna Abbasi performed Kashmiri cultural music and entertained the audience with folk songs.

A skit about ongoing atrocities on Kashmiris was also presented in the festival. It was written and contributed by Zohaib Ali, while characters of the skit were Ali Qureshi, Hamad Abbasi, Saad Zulfiqar, Sardar Daniyal, Hisham, Shariq, Obaid Zeeshan, Asim Naveed, Sohaib, Saad Hashmi, Shahzeb, Sadia Noor, Samin Ara, Laiba and Nimra. At the end of the programme, the chief guest was given a shield. A large number of Kashmiris from root cities participated in the festival.

Published in Dawn, March 27th, 2023