ABBOTTABAD:
The three-day National Folk Music Festival, which was being held in Ayubia was bid adieu on Sunday amid live performances by known artists who entertained hundreds of participants from all parts of the country.
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Minister for Sports and Culture Aqil Shah was the chief guest at closing ceremony, which was titled ‘Pop Night.’ The festival was organised by the Tourism Corporation Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (TCKP), where the artists displayed their traditional folk music and dances in pavilions of their provinces.
The major performing singers at the event included Shazia Khushk, Faakhir, Humera Arshad, Roxen the Band, Akhtar Chanaal, Gulzar Alam, Ahmad Gul, Nadeem Abbas Lonewala, Rukhsana Kashmiri, Safdar Hussain, Mumtaz Ali, Rehmat Bano, Pervez, Amanat Ali, Rabi Pirzada, Afshan Zebi, Khalid Malik, Aamir Zeb, Hamad Beg, Rizwana Khan, Mudassar Zaman, Sami, Karan Khan, Janas Khan and Ismail Junaid, who entertained the audience with their music.
Khattak and Wazir Attan dances of K-P, Jhoomer and Tharri dances of Sindh, Multani and Cholistani dance of Punjab, Leva dance of Balochistan and local dances of Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir were also performed during the three-day festival. “I am really enjoying the live performances by famous artists and it is a truly memorable occasion,” said Afshan, a newlywed woman who had come to Ayubia.
Zubaida, another tourist from Lahore, also expressed similar views. However, she added that the handicrafts on display were expensive compared to the market.
The provincial minister said the festival was a great success and the ANP led government had succeeded in defeating terrorism.
He suggested that such programmes be organised in other parts of the province as well, especially those areas which had been ravaged by militancy.
He appreciated the performers and assured the audience that the event would be held annually and he would extend all his support for this purpose.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 26th, 2011.
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