A cultural night focussing on Pakhtun indigenous folk culture was held at Shakarparian under the aegis of Lok Virsa (National Institute of Folk and Traditional Heritage) and the Pakhtun community residing in Islamabad.
Musharraf Bangash, Waheed Achakzai, Rashid Khan, Shahab Khiski, Islam Zarin Khattak, Raj Wali Marwat, Amina Khan and Sidra Khan performed at the programme while Rahim Achakzai conducted the show. Shakir Zeeshan Khattak coordinated the event on behalf of the Pakhtun community.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Labour Minister Sher Azam Wazir was the chief guest on the occasion.
A large number of people from different walks of life attended the show and appreciated the efforts of Lok Virsa in promoting and projecting the regional culture of the country in a professional way.
Talking to this scribe, Lok Virsa Executive Director Khalid Javaid said, “This is a way of proclaiming Lok Virsa’s commitment to the high stature that folk artists and musicians have in cultural mainstream of the nation.”
Explaining the initiatives taken by his organisation, Khalid Javaid said the Lok Virsa was regularly holding various activities, including arts and crafts festivals, exhibitions, concerts, workshops and cultural evenings. It was aimed at documenting, preserving and promoting Pakistan’s cultural heritage as well as to support traditional practitioners, in particular folk artists and rural musicians. The cultural evening with Pakhtun artists was also a step forward in this direction, he added.
