SWABI, May 7: The three-day All Pakistan Drama Competition, which concluded at Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute of Engineering Sciences and Technology on Monday, enthralled the audience with a rare combination of comedy and play.

At the concluding ceremony of the event organised by the Cultural, Dramatics and Entertainment Society (CDES), actor Adeel Hashmi was the chief guest, while noted TV artist Shahnaz Shaikh showed up.

Rector of the Institute Jehangir Bashar, Professor Dr Fazal Ahmad Khalid, Pro-Rector (academic) and other academic staff were also in attendance.

The institute’s auditorium, where the ceremony was held, was jam-packed with people, mostly students, even occupying corridors and passageways. With rapt attention, people watched all performances, some of which were extraordinary.

The Afghan dance performed by a group of 11 Preston University students was appreciated by the audience, who said the dance reminded them of bhangra and attan.

The comedians stole the show with unmatched acting and humour. The audience repeatedly gave them a round of applause, and yelled and whistled. They burst into laughter again and again.

Bahauddin Zakkariya University’s play, titled ‘global village’, presented a comparison of Punjab’s culture with the global dimension of life while unveiling the youngsters’ ambitions to adopt the latter.

‘Pukaar’ was another interesting play presented by University of Gujrat. It was about a girl being forced to marry a boy, who was settled abroad and earned well.

Her father thought that the boy was the best match for his daughter, who would lead a happy married life with him, but ignored the boy’s character flaws.

The marriage turned out to be bad for the girl whose life was ruined as a consequence.

Speaking to the audience, Mr Hashmi pointed out mistakes committed by performers and suggested how to avoid them for better performance.

He criticised the government for ignoring arts and said the role of students became more important under current circumstances as they had to infuse a new soul in dying arts.

Mr Adeel said culture didn’t mean music only but it was evident in all manifestations of life.

Ms Shahnaz said youngsters had done a tremendous job by keeping drama and comedy traditions alive. She said everything should not be left to the government and youngsters had to make their own way. She appreciated the performances made by students during the event.

“We are proud of the drama culture of your institute. The government should support such competitions, where people could gather for healthy entertainment,” she said.

CDES adviser Dr Aneel Salman and coordinator Jehanzeb Pirzada also spoke on the occasion.

Mr Hashmi and Ms Shahnaz later gave away prizes and shields to outstanding performers.