Pakistan tour: Scottish band visits music factories in Sialkot
They witness workers making bagpipes, Scottish harps and bodhrans
PHOTO: EXPRESS
The Scottish band Reely Jiggered visited Pakistan for Burns Night – the annual celebration of Scotland's national poet, Robert Burns.
In its first trip to Sialkot, the band visited Grays of Cambridge cricket ball factory and met Scottish-supported apprentices.
Recognising the urgency of the development of the skills sector, the British Council in collaboration with the Scottish government, launched the "Pakistan Scottish Apprenticeship Programme" in 2016. The aim of this programme was to reduce the skills gap in Pakistan.
DFID's Deputy Head of Office Kemi Williams said he was delighted that the Scottish band Reely Jiggered visited Sialkot ahead of Burns Night. “The UK is proud of its shared connection with Pakistan and this is an excellent example of our support towards a stable and prosperous future for the country."
Playing with fire: Lahore’s burns units in a desperate state
The band also visited the Mid-East instrument factory, where they witnessed skilled workers making bagpipes, Scottish harps, bodhrans, and all kinds of drums, percussions and wind instruments.
Pakistan is the second largest producer of bagpipes in the world after Scotland.
Factory owner Shoaib Imtiaz said he was a third-generation manufacturer of such instruments. "I am proud to say that my family is well-known for ensuring technical perfection in musical instruments.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 26th, 2019.
In its first trip to Sialkot, the band visited Grays of Cambridge cricket ball factory and met Scottish-supported apprentices.
Recognising the urgency of the development of the skills sector, the British Council in collaboration with the Scottish government, launched the "Pakistan Scottish Apprenticeship Programme" in 2016. The aim of this programme was to reduce the skills gap in Pakistan.
DFID's Deputy Head of Office Kemi Williams said he was delighted that the Scottish band Reely Jiggered visited Sialkot ahead of Burns Night. “The UK is proud of its shared connection with Pakistan and this is an excellent example of our support towards a stable and prosperous future for the country."
Playing with fire: Lahore’s burns units in a desperate state
The band also visited the Mid-East instrument factory, where they witnessed skilled workers making bagpipes, Scottish harps, bodhrans, and all kinds of drums, percussions and wind instruments.
Pakistan is the second largest producer of bagpipes in the world after Scotland.
Factory owner Shoaib Imtiaz said he was a third-generation manufacturer of such instruments. "I am proud to say that my family is well-known for ensuring technical perfection in musical instruments.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 26th, 2019.