Under the auspices of the Arts Council of Pakistan Karachi, the 24th day of the World Culture Festival Karachi featured the inauguration of a sixday Sindh Artists Exhibition at the Ahmed Pervez Art Gallery.
The event was inaugurated by Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Faisal Karim Kundi, along with Provincial Culture Minister Syed Zulfiqar Ali Shah and President Arts Council of Pakistan Karachi Muhammad Ahmed Shah.
Notable artists, including Farrukh Shahab and Masood A. Khan, attended the exhibition. The Sindh Artists Exhibition showcased paintings by 82 artists from across Sindh.
Governor Kundi, commenting on the exhibition, expressed his gratitude to Minister Shah for the invitation, stating that the Arts Council of Pakistan and the Sindh Culture Department were doing excellent work in promoting culture.
He noted that culture is a ministry in Sindh that people often do not understand, highlighting its historical significance and stating that culture can never be eradicated. He mentioned that there was peace in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the past and that it is one of the oldest civilizations in the world.
He remarked that people from all over the world have come to the World Culture Festival Karachi, enhancing Pakistan’s soft image globally and increasing interest in visiting the country.
Kundi emphasized that promoting our culture could help combat terrorism, advocating for the pen over the gun, and calling for tackling extremism through youth empowerment.
He commended the Arts Council of Pakistan Karachi and the Sindh government for organizing such a large festival and noted that Bilawal Bhutto Zardari fully supports cultural festivals.
He highlighted the lack of cultural exhibition halls in Peshawar and mentioned his communication with the federal government about allocating halls for cultural activities.
He encouraged the people of Sindh to focus on cultural activities instead of protests and rallies, emphasizing the need to provide employment opportunities for youth.
The Provincial Culture Minister stated that President Arts Council of Pakistan Karachi Muhammad Ahmed Shah deserved congratulations for organizing such a grand festival.
He emphasized the importance of conveying messages of peace and culture, adding that the Sindh government would collaborate with the Arts Council to hold a cultural festival in Peshawar as well.
He noted that over 40 countries were participating in the World Culture Festival Karachi, and despite some challenges, they could not be deterred.
He mentioned that he successfully held a festival in Quetta and that Peshawar is also a city filled with kindhearted people. He expressed happiness at the work of all the artists from Sindh.
President Arts Council of Pakistan Karachi, Muhammad Ahmad Shah, expressed gratitude to the Governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for participating in the festival.
He noted that no festival in the world lasts more than three weeks, and they were set to create a global record by organizing the largest festival in history.
He mentioned that they had full support from the Sindh government and highlighted that Zulfiqar Bhutto established the first cultural ministry, aligning with Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s vision for cultural institutions. Ahmed stated that they were conducting the Pakistan Literature Festival across the country, despite protests from artists in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa against him.
He referred to a planned concert from Berlin to Lahore that did not receive an NOC from the Punjab government. He acknowledged the talent of artists in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and expressed their intention to collaborate with every provincial government to hold cultural festivals.
He emphasized that each day the festival was gaining momentum and that culture was essential for society’s survival. He lamented that thousands of years of Pashtun culture had been buried.