Youth festival kicks off with debates and songs

Youth festival aims to enhance confidence, responsibility, forum for talented youths to express their potential.

KARACHI: Youth Festival 2010 kicked off on Sunday at the Arts Council. The joint venture, organised by the Sindh youth department and Arts Council of Pakistan, was inaugurated by Federal Minster for Overseas Pakistanis Dr Farooq Sattar and Sindh Minister for Youth Affairs Faisal Subzwari.

Dr Sattar lauded the youth affairs department for organising the festival and said that the youth should be empowered for the betterment of the country. He said self-accountability is how Pakistan can be raised to the ranks of developed nations. “Everybody should be fully accountable for what they do,” he said.

Subzwari said the youth festival aims to enhance the confidence of young people and to develop a sense of responsibility in them. He said that his department is providing opportunities to talented youths to express their potential.

International NGOs are also taking part in the department’s development projects, Subzwari added.

Secretary Youth Affairs Sindh Shoaib Ahmed Siddiqui, Director Youth Affairs Sindh Khurshaid Ali Shaikh, President Arts Council Karachi Aijaz Farooqui and others were also present at the ceremony.

After the speeches, the ministers visited the photography and painting exhibitions at the council. The agenda for the day also included two competitions that took place simultaneously.

Thirty participants from different schools and universities took part in the Urdu debate, which was titled Is War Necessary for Peace? Meanwhile, 20 participants battled it out in the singing competition.

With additional input from PPI

Published in The Express Tribune, November 22^nd, 2010.