Lok Mela presents 'Qawwali Night'

ISLAMABAD:

On the fifth day of Lok Mela 2025, organised by the National Institute of Folk and Traditional Heritage (Lok Virsa), the festival held Qawwali Night, witnessing a record-breaking attendance as it drew more than 200,000 visitors throughout the day and evening.

Families, students, artisans, tourists and culture enthusiasts thronged the festival grounds to celebrate Pakistan's living traditions. The highlight of the day was the Qawwali Night held at the Open Air Theatre. The renowned Sharafat Sher Ali Khan Qawwal Group delivered a captivating performance featuring classical qawwalis, devotional poetry and traditional harmonium and tabla compositions. The audience gave a standing ovation to the performance, marking the evening as one of the most memorable cultural nights of Lok Mela 2025.

Ambassador of Uzbekistan, Alisher Takhthaev, also visited Lok Mela. He appreciated Pakistan's diverse cultural heritage after meeting artisans and enjoying the qawwali performance. He lauded the efforts to promote cultural exchange and strengthen people-to-people ties.

Visitors explored handicraft stalls displaying pottery, textiles, Ajrak printing, embroidery, lacquer work, jewellery and woodcraft. The provincial pavilions of Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir continued to host live cultural demonstrations and traditional performances.