Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Caretaker Minister for Information and Culture, Ms. Mossarat Qadeem said that holding of national level cultural programmes like National Lok Mela is the need of the hour for promotion of national integration and provincial harmony.
She added that such programmes prove useful in bringing the peoples of different nations closer to each other and promote love and brotherhood in them; therefore, there should be maximum number of such programmes at national level.
This, she said, while talking to media persons during her visit to a 10-day National Lok Mela at Lok Versa Islamabad, the other night. Secretary Information and Culture Azmat Hanif Orakzai and a grand delegation of Afghan women also accompanied the Minister.
A grand cultural show was also arranged by the Culture Department Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa in the open-air theatre at Lok Versa in which local singers and artistes also performed.
The Minister on this occasion visited the pavilions of all the four provinces including Azad-Jamu and Kasmir and Gilgat-Biltistan. She took keen interest in the stalls and termed the Lok Mela a beautiful bouquet.
She maintained that no one could deny the importance of culture as it is not the name of dance or music but it is a vast subject and each and every moment of our life is the part of culture. She added that she would try her level best to do much more in her short time for promotion of culture and local arts and preservations of national heritage.
Stressing on the local artistes for introducing new trends in their arts in line with the market needs, the Minister directed the authorities concerned to explore market for the artists at national as well as international levels.
She also directed to extend the Riwaiti Hunarmand Rozgar Scheme to the entire province and included maximum number of traders in it so as local artistes could be benefited in large number. She further directed for establishing a display and resource centre for locally manufactured arts at provincial level.
Mossarat Qadeem continued that culture is the symbol of live nations adding that the nations unaware of their culture are vanished. She said that participation of the artistes and the people in such a grave situation in the Lok Mela is a message of life and such events not only provide joy to the people but also prove helpful in promotion of local art and encouragement of the artistes.
It is her earnest desire that there should be once again a normal life in the terror-hit region of Pakhtun and there should be meaningful activities in the region, she concluded.