KPCTA wins ‘Best Pavilion Award’ for 3rd time at Lok Mela

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Culture and Tourism Authority (KPCTA) once again clinched the ‘Best Pavilion Award’, making it the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa first province to secure the title for the third consecutive year at the annual Lok Mela in the Folk Festival of Pakistan.

A press release issued here said the closing ceremony of the Lok Mela festival was held at Shakarparian, Islamabad, with Federal Secretary for National Heritage and Culture Hassan Nasir Jami as the chief guest.

Besides others, the event was attended by Executive Director Lok Virsa Muzaffar Ali Burki, KPCTA Director General Tashfeen Haider, Lok Virsa Director Anwar Ahmad, General Manager Tourism Authority Sajjad Hameed, Director Culture Ajmal Khan, Events Manager Haseena Shaukat and others.

The colourful event concluded with an awards ceremony, recognising all provinces, artistes, artisans, singers and exceptional pavilions. The KP once again grabbed the Best Pavilion Award, while Sindh was also awarded for its remarkable pavilion. Federal Secretary Hassan Nasir Jami distributed the awards among the participants.

Several cash prizes worth Rs0.6 million were also distributed among the skilled artisans, folk artistes and musicians based on recommendations from a jury of cultural experts invited by Lok Virsa.

Award-winning artisans and artistes from KP included Fazal Wahid (Swati Shawls), Kashif (Charsadda Chappal), Aniya Wasim (Lacquer Art), Maryam Mumtaz (Jisti Work), Sheikh Usman (Jinnah Caps), Sher Mujim, Israr, and Babar Ali Shah.

Similarly, artisans and artistes from other province were also honoured with cash prizes and awards as well. Sheikh Muhammad Yousuf, Zulfiqar Ghazi, Shakeel Ahmed Mir, Nader Ali from Azad Kashmir and Musa, Fatima Arzu, Shahbaz, Farhan Ahmad, Sultan

Nasir, Rahat from Gilgit-Baltistan and Muhammad Ashraf, Raiba Rind, Sattar Jogi, Shaukat Faqir, Niaz Muhammad, Lutaf Ali, Sir Ghulam Arshad and Sindh, Ali Adil Baloch, Muhammad Arif, Arif Mazhar, Liaqat Parloi, Gul Bahar, Soomar, and Soya Batur from Balochistan, Ahmad Gujrati, Muhammad Umais Riaz, Manzoor Malang, Lala Ramzan, Fauzia Naid, Rameez Ishaq, Shaukat, Dillu Lal, Abdul Aziz, Muhammad Akhtar, and Muhammad Kamran from Punjab won cash prizes and awards.

The ceremony also featured vibrant cultural dances and performances by folk musicians.The federal secretary praised the efforts of Lok Virsa in bringing together skilled artisans from across the country to showcase their crafts in the federal capital. He assured the government commitment to strengthening national institutions, saying that no nation can progress in industry, science or technology while neglecting its cultural heritage.

Organized by the National Heritage and Culture Division, the 10-day festival features stalls from KP, Balochistan, Sindh, Punjab, Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Kashmir, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia and other countries.

The KP Pavilion showcased the work of over 50 artisans from districts including Abbottabad, Hazara, Dera Ismail Khan, Charsadda, Haripur, Mardan, Peshawar, Chitral, and Swat. The pavilion features 30 handicraft and cultural stalls along with traditional foods such as sohbat, painda, chapli kebab, tikka boti, chicken boti, mutton karahi, amrasa and Charsadda rice.

A special segment of the pavilion is the traditional Kalash dance performances by men and women from the Kalash Valley, which have captivated attendees.The purpose of participating in this national-level festival was to promote provincial culture and tourism and send a positive message about KP’s rich cultural and traditional heritage.

The pavilion also displayed traditional items such as clay pots, Mughal art, Charsadda sandals, woodwork, stone and glass carvings, Hazara embroidery and bags, Swati shawls, truck art, stone mosaic art, calligraphy, dried fruits, sugarcane juice and other traditional crafts. Videos and documentaries showcasing various tourist destinations are being screened.