ISLAMABAD: Popular Qawwals, folk singers and dancers enthralled the audience of twin cities here late Friday in a musical evening entitled "Sufi Night" at Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA).

The musicians mesmerized the audience with "Sufi Kalam" in melodious tunes through soul-soothing verses of poetry and highlighted traditions and teachings of Sufis.

The show gave message of peace, love and harmony through combining expressions of the traditional musical heritage of the Subcontinent.

Attired in vibrant costumes, traditional folk dancers presented regional dances with props featuring cultural values of various areas of the country.

The event was jointly organized by PNCA and the Ministry of National Heritage and Integration as part of its regular activities to promote and preserve traditional music of Pakistan.

Qawwali is a part of Sufi traditions as mostly it carries Islamic verses with a mystical school of thought that depict divine love and messages connected to folk sayings.

About the show, Director General PNCA, Tauqeer Nasir said that the teachings of `Sufis' played a pivotal role in dissemination of the divine message of Islam. The Qawwals took this message to every corner of Subcontinent through their unique expressions.

He said Qawwali follows a unique psychological process that hires a group of singers in which one starts singing with low sound with some soft instrumental music while others accompany the leading singer with ascending tones of music and sound. The whole process brings repetition of words and phrases with deeper meaning of the lyrics accompanied by clapping of hands for rhythmic support, he added.