The Minister of State for Culture, Sports and Youth Affairs, Mohammad Ali Durrani, on Friday said that Kashmir is the jugular vein of Pakistan and in order to express solidarity with the Kashmiri brethren, for the first time in the history, Lok Virsa Museum would be turned into 'Mini Kashmir' on Kashmir Day on Saturday. Addressing a press conference at the Lok Virsa Museum, he said that different exhibitions and bazaars of numerous Kashmiri handicrafts would be held and the Kashmiri artistes would perform national songs, dramas, living styles and other performances, thus a complete picture of the Kashmir independence movement and culture would be portrayed at the Lok Virsa on Kashmir Day.
He said that the focal point of the normalisation of relations between Pakistan and India is Kashmir and all routes of peace in the region pass through Kashmir. He said that heartbeats of Pakistanis and Kashmiri people are the same. "We salute the sacrifices of the Kashmiri freedom fighters and are with them in the course of this struggle," said the minister. He said the decision to observe the Kashmir Day at such a high level elaborates the will of the Pakistan government for the solution of the Kashmir dispute. He said after the formal inauguration on Saturday, the Lok Virsa Museum would be opened for the masses and the exhibition would culminate in the evening.
Lok Virsa Museum Executive Director Uxi Mufti said that the whole credit of the initiative goes to the Minister of State Mohammad Ali Durrani who had taken a bold step for the first time in the history. He said Kashmiri cuisine, jewellery (Tale Zur) and handicrafts exhibition would be held besides staging dramas and other performances. "NGOs, social welfare organisations, minorities etc would also express solidarity with their Kashmiri brethren. Thus, all aspects of the Kashmiri culture would become into limelight," he concluded.-PR