ISLAMABAD, Jan 1: To promote Pakistani culture, celebrations and festivities under the banner ‘Pakistan Cultural Week’ started on Tuesday, at Lok Virsa.

The main features of the event are art and craft bazaar, folk songs and dance performances. Plus traditional floats representing all the federating units, stage plays, on-the-spot activities and special attractions for families and children are being scheduled.

A large number of people participated in the event on the first day and enjoyed programmes presented by the organisers.

Artists Shazia Khushk from Sindh, Akhtar Channal from Balochistan, Haseena Naz from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Fazal Jatt from Punjab, Bano Rehmat from Azad Kashmir and Kalash dancers performed on the occasion.

A stall holder Dedar Ali, 45, a hat maker, who belongs to Hunza Valley, while talking to Dawn said: “My father Ghulam Shah started participating in exhibitions around 35 years ago and was nominated for Pride of Performance Award by the then president of Pakistan, Ghulam Ishaq Khan. I used to come along with him and for the last 12 years I have been participating in exhibitions.”

“Both hats and shawls are prepared through a traditional process of weaving, in place for the last 500 years. We make threads from lamb hair, which are then used to make hats and shawls. It is a very difficult time for the profession because of the economy, as a lot of people are not buying traditional hats and shawls,” he said.

“Hats are worth Rs400, women shawls range from Rs800 to Rs2,000 and men shawls range from Rs2,000 to Rs4,000.

Only foreigners buy them due to which I hardly get any income. New generation of Pakistanis are not interested in cultural products,” he said.

In the evening, at around 5pm at Pakistan National Council of Arts (PNCA), a cultural show was formally inaugurated by Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf.

The prime minister on the occasion said: “Pakistan has a rich and diverse culture. The people of Pakistan are the proud custodians of a cultural legacy transferred to them from generation-to-generation. Pakistan’s traditional culture has evolved and is still evolving. It goes back to the ancient Mehrgarh, Indus valley and Gandhara civilisation. Our traditional culture is therefore deeply rooted and extends over many centuries.”

Federal Minister for National Heritage and Integration Samina Khalid Ghurki said: “No nation can thrive without culture.

Preserving and strengthening cultural heritage is important for the development and promotion of national unity and tolerance.”

The minister further said: “Actually, the present initiative aims to involve the masses in a campaign which will leave a positive impact on the audiences while enjoying and celebrating the beauty of culture. This celebration will therefore serve as a unique opportunity to propagate the message of unity among all Pakistanis.”

Talking to the media, after the opening of the ceremony, Lok Virsa’s Executive Director Khalid Javed termed holding Pakistan Cultural Week as an important measure towards educating the masses, in particular the youth, about the cultural values of the nation.