Festival spotlights KP’s rich culture, distinct traditions

PESHAWAR: Provincial Minister for Labour and Culture Shaukat Yousafzai on Sunday said that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had a rich culture and distinctive traditions and the government was striving to promote them along modern lines.

“This Expo is a great opportunity for the tourists and families to know about the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s scenic resorts, rich cultural heritage and handicrafts under one roof,” the minister said during his visit to the KP Pavilion set up by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Culture and Tourism Authority (KP-CTA) at the Lok Virsa annual festival. KP-CTA Director General Kamran Ahmad Afridi, Director Muhammad Shoaib Khan, Muhammad Ali Syed and others were also present on the occasion, said a press release.

The KP-CTA has established the KP Pavilion at the Lok Virsa to showcase the cultural and traditional handicrafts and tourism potential to attract more tourists to the province. Shaukat Yousafzai said that such events promoted the cause of culture, traditions and encouraged the artistes and artisans as well. KP-CTA DG Kamran Ahmad Afridi said that there was no dearth of skilled manpower and artistes in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the government was taking tangible steps to facilitate them in their respective fields. He said that as per the provincial government directives, the KP-CTA was fully participating to showcase the cultural and traditional handicrafts and tourism potential in the weeklong Lok Virsa Expo.

The minister and other officials later took a round of stalls at the KP Pavilion and appreciated the arrangements made for the artisans, tourists and visitors. The KP Pavilion attracted a large number of visitors including foreigners, who evinced keen interest in the cultural and traditional handicrafts. Artisans from across the KP, including Abbottabad, Dera Ismail Khan, Haripur Swabi, Charsadda, Mansehra, Peshawar, Chitral and elsewhere have erected stalls that displayed the cultural and traditional handicrafts, food cuisines and music.

Traditional dances were performed and folk music with rabab mangay also played to entertain visitors and tourists at the expo. A grand musical night was held in which the artistes from KP, including Shahid Malang, Bakhtiar Khattak, Mahtab Ziayab, Afshan Zaibi, Muskan Fayyaz, Khalid Malik and others performed cultural and traditional music.