Peshawar - Artistes and singers from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa stole the show on the Music Night at the annual Lok Mela festival on Wednesday.
A grand musical night show was held in which artistes and singers from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa performed traditional music.
The artistes and singers, including Meena Shams, Kulsoom Wadood, Irfan, Mahnoor, Nabeela Wadood, Hina, Niaz Ali, Shahid Ali Khan, Asfandyar Khattak and others performed well and received thunderous applause from the audience.
Prime Minister Office Joint Secretary Tariq Khan along with Adil Saeed Safi attended the event as chief guest.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Culture and Tourism Authority (KPCTA) Director Yousaf Ali, General Manager Culture and Tourism Sajjad Hameed, Director Human Resource Amjad Khan, KPCTA Deputy Director Tourism Qaiser Khattak, Assistant Director Arbab Hassnain, Afrasiyab Khattak and others were also present on the occasion.
The KP Pavilion established by the KPCTA under the aegis of Sports, Tourism, Archaeology, Culture, Museums and Youth Affairs Department at Lok Mela Islamabad was the centre of attraction for the tourists and visitors, including men, women and children.
The KPCTA has established 29 stalls at the KP Pavilion to highlight the cultural and traditional handicrafts and tourism potential to attract more tourists to the province.
Artisans from across the KP, including Abbottabad, Dera Ismail Khan, Haripur, Swabi, Charsadda, Mansehra, Peshawar, Chitral and elsewhere have erected stalls that displayed the cultural and traditional handicrafts, food cuisines and music. The KP Pavilion attracted a large number of visitors including foreigners, who evinced keen interest in the cultural and traditional handicrafts. Traditional Khattak, Mahsud and FC dances were also performed and folk music with rabab mangay also played to entertain visitors and tourists at the expo.
The KPCTA has also established a special desk to provide information about the cultural and tourism potential of the province through brochures, posters, booklets, video documentaries and pamphlets so that the families and visitors could obtain details regarding scenic attractions and cultural diversity.
Many visitors turned up to the KP Pavilion that displayed handicrafts including Swati Shawls, Kalash, Khadar, embroidery, Taghar work, Bannu Royal Khaadi, stone carving, Peshawari caps and chapal, wax painting, metal work, wood carving, artwork, calligraphy, ring making, sitar making, Chitrali Patti, Gandhara Art, Drooza chappal, Sarghashay, Charsadda chappal, maizaray work, Karawa work, Sarkha, Dandas, Parunay, pottery work, Qehwa, blacksmith work, Hazara Jisti Shawl and Moti work and cultural items and jewellry made of copper and stone.
Speaking on the occasion, Tariq Khan said that such events promote the cause of culture, traditions and encourage the artistes and artisans as well. He said that domestic and foreign tourists also enjoyed the cultural and traditional handicrafts, food cuisines and music.
The organisers said that establishing KP Pavilion at the expo was aimed at highlighting the tourist spots, cultural and traditional items to lure more visitors to the province.
They said that the expo presented rich collection of Pakistan’s cultural heritage at the festival.