Spring Festival events given final shape

LAHORE: On the direction of Caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi, Spring Festival will be fully sponsored instead of being celebrated on the government resources for the first time in Punjab.

The chief minister on Sunday presided over a meeting to review Spring Festival arrangements in which a final shape was given to the festival celebrations. It was informed during the meeting that the festival celebrations were being launched from Lahore and Faisalabad.

The caretaker CM was apprised during the meeting that a Food Fun Mela was being launched from 5th to 12th March at the Jilani Park where stalls of top 20 food brands of Lahore would be installed.

Famous singers will present a musical show at the Lahore Hockey Stadium every evening. Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Sahir Ali Bagga, Bilal Saeed, Aima Khan and other singers will present their musical skills.

Mehfil-e-Na’at and Mehfil-e-Sama will be organised at various shrines, including Data Darbar while Punjabi folk music shows will be organized at the Jilani Park. It was further informed during the briefing that main boulevards of the City would be decorated and Canal Mela as well as Sports Mela would also be part of the festival.

Three shows of Lucky Irani Circus will be organised in the Greater Iqbal Park for seven consecutive days. Marathon Race competitions will be held on 12th March. Race On Wheel and Fun Race will also be organised and professional cyclists will participate in the 42km long cyclothon.

A ‘Digital Journey’ show will be organised to impart awareness about the ‘Formation of Pakistan’ in the National History Museum. It was apprised during the Walled City Authority briefing that Light and Music Extravaganza show would be presented at the Shahi Fort in the evening. ‘Roshan Galian’, ‘Vaikh Lahore’, ‘Rangeela Rickshaw’, ‘Dastan Goi’, ‘Heer Gaiki’ and ‘Drum Circle’ shows will also be held.

It was informed during the briefing that special celebrations would be organised in connection with International Women's Day on 8th March and a Women’s Mushaira would also be held. Faisalabad Commissioner while giving a briefing during a video link apprised that Spring Festival celebrations would be organised at the Iqbal Stadium, Agriculture University and at various places in Faisalabad. Commissioner further apprised that Food Stalls, Mehfil-e-Mushaira, Qawwali Night, Handicraft Show, Cycling Competitions, Fireworks and Heavy Bike shows would be held.

Women players of Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan will be participating in the International Handball Tournament at the GC University Faisalabad.

Caretaker Provincial Information & Culture Minister Amir Mir, Caretaker Provincial Local Government Minister Ibrahim Murad, Chief Secretary, Additional Chief Secretary, Secretary Higher Education, Secretary Local Government, Commissioner Lahore division, DC Lahore, director generals of PHA, Walled City Of Lahore Authority, Sports and CEO Punjab Board of Investment & Trade attended the meeting. Secretary Information & Culture Ali Nawaz Malik, Commissioner Faisalabad and DC Faisalabad attended the meeting via a video link.

CONDOLENCES: Caretaker chief minister expressed his deep grief over the loss of precious human lives in a traffic accident near Lower Mall. Mohsin Naqvi ordered best treatment facilities for the injured and expressed his heartfelt sympathy with the bereaved families.

He sought a report from the CCPO Lahore and ordered strict action against those responsible for the accident.