Time to be merry: Three concerts organised at city parks

PHA fails to attract large audiences.

LAHORE: The Parks and Horticulture Authority (PHA) on Sunday organised three concerts featuring several popular artists.

These concerts, which failed to attract many people, were held at the Race Course Park, Minto Park and Gulshan-i-Iqbal.

The concerts were apparently planned in a hurry. PHA officials put up banners announcing these concerts near parks on Saturday, officials close to the development said.

PHA hired professional hosts and comedians for the programmes. No entry fee was charged

The concert held at the Minar-i-Pakistan grounds was hosted by Aslam Simab. Performers at the concert included Malko, Sain Zahoor and the Nexus group. Comedians at the event included Tariq Jakson and Allah Rakha Pepsi.

The concert at Gulshan-i-Iqbal was hosted by Sohail. Falak Sher, Mazhar Rahi, Nasir Biraj and Arif Butt from Strings performed at the event.

Hasan Abbas and Vicky Cobra performed their comedy sketches.

The concert at Race Course was hosted by Yasir Qureshi. Musical performers included Rafaqat Ali, Bilal, Faisal, Ali Abbas. Shaukat Ali and his son Imran Ali sang folk songs.

Sajad Anwar, resident of Shadman, who has a medical store at Thokar Niaz Baig said holding concerts at such a short notice was pointless.

He said normally such events tended to draw large audience. On Sunday, however, the concert at Race Course attracted 200 people, he said. He said the PHA had apparently tried to effect the attendance at the PTI rally.

Abid Hussain, a resident of Shadbagh, said he was a regular visitor of Race Course. He said he noticed that the advertisements for the event appeared only the day before the concert.

Hammad Sheikh, resident of Iqbal Town, said the concert at Gulshan Iqbal Park came as a surprise to him.

Sheikh said he noticed the concert when it had actually begun. He said it could have attracted a larger audience if it had been announced earlier.

PHA Coordination Sohail Bhatti said the provincial government wanted to create a festive environment ahead of the Turkish prime minister’s visit and in view of Christmas.

He said such concerts were not held on Christmas day and the government wanted to hold the concert on a weekend to avoid disruption of business activities.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 23^rd, 2013.