Serene reprieve: Swat Spring Festival kicks off in Mingora

Three-day event features music, crafts stalls, bridal show and more .

MINGORA:

A large number of locals and tourists flocked to the Swat Spring Festival which kicked off at Grassy Ground on Tuesday.

The event has been organised to show people within the country and abroad that Swat is a peaceful valley, said Swat DC Mehmood Aslam Wazir at the occasion. “Swat is as serene as it was before the insurgency.”

Along with the DC, Assistant Commissioner Ashfaq Khan and elders of the area were also present as guests. On the opening day, the guests visited different stalls and mingled with locals and tourists.

To add to the high spirits of those enjoying the festival, District Development Advisory Committee (DDAC) Chairman Fazal Hakim said development schemes would be completed in all the areas to bring the district at par with the standard that was maintained during the reign of the legendary wali of Swat, Miangul Jahanzeb.

Moreover, shows were presented by students of different schools and a bridal show was also arranged.

“This is a very entertaining event and we got to meet many talented people of the valley,” a visitor, Zaheer Khan, told The Express Tribune. “We also saw some splendid arts and crafts made by local artists.”

Tourists from different parts of the country who are visiting Swat took interest in the event and seemed keen on buying traditional decorative things.

“The venue is perfect and the day is complemented by the pleasant weather and hospitality of locals,” said a tourist, Hashim Khan, who was visiting from Rawalpindi. He added he bought a fine hand-woven shawl from one of the stalls.

The three-day event has been organised by the district administration, along with civil society organisations and was formally inaugurated by Chairman DDAC Fazal Hakim, who is also an MPA. The festival will conclude on April 23, while April 22 (today) has been reserved for women and families only.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 22^nd, 2015.