PESHAWAR: A colourful peace and cultural festival was held on Friday to bring smile on the faces of the violence-affected people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and adjoining Federally Administered Tribal Areas.

The event arranged under the auspices of South Asia Partnership Pakistan (SAP-PK) was a bid to show the world a soft image of the region.

People from different walks of life, including politicians, academicians, civil society activists, students, singers and artistes, attended the event in large numbers.

The speakers said such events should happen again and again in a city, where incidence of heinous and criminal acts was high. SAP-PK regional coordinators Allah Noor Afridi and Naeem Khattak said the event was meant to encourage peace lovers to involve themselves in positive cultural and political events, which they said was easy tool for combating extremism and violence in the volatile region.

Different stalls were set up showcasing handicrafts, old jewellery, cultural dresses, antiques, dried fruits and other items from Mohmand and Kurram agencies and Lower and Upper Dir.

Women and youths participated in the event in good numbers.

Parkha Khan, a young participant from tribal areas, said such events should be frequently held to give more exposure to female artisans from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and adjoining tribal region.

The SAP-PK coordinators informed participants about their organisation’s ‘Citizen Action for Peace and Development’ campaign saying the initiative was meant to unite people on the issue of peace and development.

They said peace and development would happen only when violence and extremism ended.

The coordinators said their organisation arranged several debates, seminars and workshops in most parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and adjoining tribal region.

Civil society activists Dr Sarfraz, Maryam Bibi and Ijaz Durrani paid tribute to all those, who fell victim to militancy and terrorism during the last one decade.

They said Fata and Pata lagged far behind in terms of development indicators.

The civil society activists said they had fewer opportunities to participate in social and economic development compared to other parts of the country.

They said the gap between the state and citizens adversely affected the efficient delivery of public services.

Later, local folksingers enthralled the audience, while the youths danced to the tunes of Pashto traditional music instruments, Rabab and Mangy.

Published in Dawn, May 3rd, 2015

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