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Over 400 artists from 40 countries participating in World Culture Festival in Karachi

Special Over 400 artists from 40 countries participating in World Culture Festival in Karachi
Members of the Wahab Shah Dance Company perform during a folk art performance in the inaugural of the World Cultural Festival in Karachi, Pakistan on September 26, 2024. (REUTERS)
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Updated 27 September 2024
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Over 400 artists from 40 countries participating in World Culture Festival in Karachi

Over 400 artists from 40 countries participating in World Culture Festival in Karachi
  • Festival will continue for about a month and feature artists from Palestine, UAE, Germany and Azerbaijan
  • The organizers say it will project Pakistan’s soft image and highlight the ‘peace-loving’ nature of its people
Updated 27 September 2024
BURAQ SHABBIR
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KARACHI: Over 400 artists from 40 countries are set to participate in Pakistan’s first World Culture Festival that started in Karachi on Thursday, with a top official from the Arts Council of Pakistan (ACP) saying the event will project the country’s soft image and highlight its “peace-loving” nature.
The inaugural ceremony featured international artists from Rwanda, Azerbaijan, South Africa, and Nepal, with a series of performances beginning with Pakistan’s music maestro Farhan Rais Khan on the sitar, a traditional string instrument, alongside his troupe.




Artists from South Africa perform during the opening ceremony of the World Culture Festival at Arts Council of Pakistan in Karachi on September 26, 2024. (AFP)

The festival will run for a little more than a month until October 30. In addition to Pakistan, artists from the UAE, Oman, Qatar, Palestine, Egypt, Bangladesh, China, Germany and Sri Lanka will also perform throughout the event.
“I believe in the power of culture, art and music,” ACP President Muhammad Ahmed Shah said while addressing the inaugural ceremony. “I want to showcase the talent of my country. More than 300 musicians from Pakistan are a part of this festival.”




Rwandan musicians Peace Jolis (L) and Lee Dia perform during the opening ceremony of the World Culture Festival at Arts Council of Pakistan in Karachi on September 26, 2024. (AFP)

Shah said he was proud of Pakistan’s culture and heritage, adding it was important to change the country’s perception on the global level.
“We want to show the world that Pakistanis are the most peace-loving people,” he continued. “Pakistani artists are no less than anyone else across the world.”
The opening ceremony had Pakistani and international artists in attendance, in addition to dignitaries and media personnel. Governor of Sindh Kamran Tessori was present at the occasion as chief guest.
The evening had a performance from Azerbaijan, featuring artists Sahib Pashazade and Kamran Karimov. The presentation reflected the rich cultural heritage of their country.
“We are very excited to be a part of this festival,” Pashazade told Arab News. “We will be performing with the Azerbaijan Tar [a long-necked, plucked lute] which is included in UNESCO’s heritage … We will also be playing the Azerbaijan Mugham [a classical composition from the Central Asian state] which too is part of UNESCO’s heritage.”




Sahib Pashazade from Azerbaijan plays a Tar string musical instrument during the inaugural of the World Cultural Festival in Karachi, Pakistan, on September 26, 2024. (REUTERS)

“I want to thank the people of Pakistan,” he added. “Their kindness and hospitality inspire us a lot. We are also a Muslim country. Azerbaijan is Pakistan’s brother country. We can relate to the experience, feelings and emotions of the people here. Cultural exchanges are very important in bringing nations together.”
Noor ul Hassan, who is the first Pakistani actor to star in the first season of the Pakistani-Turkish production “Selahaddin Eyyubi,” was also present at the occasion.
“This is the first time [such a festival is] happening in Karachi,” he said while speaking to Arab News. “During the 90s, we used to have Rafi Peer Theatre Workshop. They were the pioneers. I have attended so many of their festivals myself.”
Hassan said he used to work as a freelance theater manager with Rafi Peer during that period. Its events were held annually and brought together a host of foreigners with whom the local would mingle and learn from.
“Then the circumstances changed due to terrorism and lawlessness,” he added. “I am glad this revival is happening … The work that the Arts Council of Pakistan is doing in Karachi should take place in the entire country.”

Topics: World Culture Festival Karachi

Thousands rally for peace in Pakistan’s Swat valley after attack on diplomats’ convoy

Thousands rally for peace in Pakistan’s Swat valley after attack on diplomats’ convoy
Updated 5 sec ago
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Thousands rally for peace in Pakistan’s Swat valley after attack on diplomats’ convoy

Thousands rally for peace in Pakistan’s Swat valley after attack on diplomats’ convoy
  • Pakistani army and counter-terror forces maintain a strong presence in Swat valley, long a hotbed of militant insurgency
  • TTP insurgents took partial control of Swat Valley in 2007, before being driven out by years-long military operations
Updated 5 sec ago
WASIM SAJJAD

PESHAWAR: Thousands came out in protest in Swat valley in northwestern Pakistan on Friday, days after a roadside bomb hit a convoy of foreign diplomats visiting the area, killing a police officer in their security detail. 
While most militant attacks in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan are claimed by the Pakistani Taliban, also known as the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the group has distanced itself from last week’s attack on the diplomats convoy, which took place as it was en route to a hill station and ski resort called Malam Jabba. All the nearly dozen diplomats were unhurt.
Pakistan has seen a rise in militancy in recent months, with most attacks taking place in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Islamabad says fighters mainly associated with the Pakistani Taliban or TTP group frequently launch attacks from hideouts in Afghanistan, targeting police and other security forces. Islamabad has even blamed Kabul’s Afghan Taliban rulers for facilitating anti-Pakistan militants. Kabul denies the charges.
Over 80 policemen have been killed in attacks, ambushes and target killings in KP in 2024, according to police data.
“The protest is meant to give a message for the restoration of peace,” said Mazhar Azad, a representative of the Swat Qami Jirga that led Friday’s protest in a famous town square in Mingora city called Nishat Chowk. 
“We want peace at any cost, we want an end to terrorism. We don’t want any kind of war on our land.”
The protest was joined by representatives of nearly all political parties, members of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement civil rights group as well as activists, lawyers and trade union representatives from Swat.
Friday’s protest took place despite the Deputy Commissioner’s Office in Swat issuing a “high-level” threat alert for district Swat on Thursday, banning large public gatherings. 
“We are being told that militants are present in the mountains of Swat,” Swat Qami Jirga member Khalid Mehmood Khan said as he addressed the gathering. “If this is true, then it is evidence of state failure. We will no longer accept unrest and militancy in Swat under any circumstances.”
When asked about public reservations about the deteriorating security situation in Swat and the rest of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a spokesperson for the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government, Muhammad Saif, said KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur had constituted a fact-finding committee on the attack on foreign diplomats:
“The government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is doing everything possible to restore and maintain peace in the province.”
Spokesperson for Swat Police, Moen Fayaz, said Friday’s protests had concluded in a “peaceful manner.”
“People of Swat and police have given sacrifices in the past and the police are ready to fight against militancy in future,” he told Arab News. “Both government and public respect the sacrifices of police and police will fight in the future as well to restore peace in the region.”
Pakistani army and counter-terrorist forces maintain a strong presence in Swat valley, which has long been a hotbed of militant insurgency, though militants have stepped up their attacks since late 2022 after breaking a ceasefire with the government. 
In 2012, Islamist militants shot and wounded Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai in the valley. TTP insurgents took partial control of Swat Valley in 2007, before being driven out by years-long military operations.

Topics: Malam Jabba Swat protest

Pakistan PM briefs US-Pakistan Business Council on special body set up for foreign investments

Pakistan PM briefs US-Pakistan Business Council on special body set up for foreign investments
Updated 27 September 2024
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Pakistan PM briefs US-Pakistan Business Council on special body set up for foreign investments

Pakistan PM briefs US-Pakistan Business Council on special body set up for foreign investments
  • Sharif’s government has actively pursued economic diplomacy in recent months and wants to strengthen ties with the US
  • Islamabad aims to boost bilateral trade in goods and services, which Pakistani embassy in Washington says totals $12 billion
Updated 27 September 2024
Hasaan Ali Khan

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday met a delegation of the US-Pakistan Business Council (USPBC) in New York, introducing them to a special civil-military investment body set up last year to attract foreign funding and briefing them on government measures taken to improve ease of doing business. 
Sharif’s government has actively pursued economic diplomacy in recent months and wants to strengthen ties with the US — strained in recent years by political tensions — and boost bilateral trade in goods and services, which the Pakistani embassy in Washington says now totals about $12 billion.
Sharif’s meeting with USPBC took place on the sidelines of the annual United Nations General Assembly, which the PM is scheduled to address later today, presenting his country’s stance on Israel’s war on Gaza, the lingering Kashmir dispute, growing global security deficit and climate change risks. 
“In introducing the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) to the participants, the Prime Minister underscored that SIFC was a high-level, one-window agency empowered to facilitate foreign investors in planning and implementing their ventures in four key areas: agriculture, IT, energy, and mining,” a statement from Sharif’s office said after he met the USPBC delegation.
“The Prime Minister added that the SIFC aimed at bolstering investor confidence and expediting project implementation through customized solutions and demand-driven facilitation.”
Sharif identified various areas in Pakistan’s economy, particularly agriculture, technology, pharmaceutical, oil and gas and mining where he said US companies could benefit through mutually beneficial investments. 
As Pakistan has sought approval for a $7 billion IMF loan in recent months — the approval was received this week — it has actively sought external financing from allies as well as looked at more sustainable forms such as direct investment and climate financing.
On Friday, an IMF official said Pakistan had received “significant financing assurances” from China, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates linked to the new IMF program that go beyond a deal to roll over $12 billion in bilateral loans owed to them by Islamabad.
The IMF’s Executive Board on Wednesday approved the new 37-month loan agreement for Pakistan that requires “sound policies and reforms” to strengthen macroeconomic stability. 
The approval releases an immediate $1 billion disbursement to Islamabad.

Topics: Pakistan US Ties foreign investments

Greece investigates death of detained Pakistani migrant

Greece investigates death of detained Pakistani migrant
Updated 27 September 2024
Reuters
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Greece investigates death of detained Pakistani migrant

Greece investigates death of detained Pakistani migrant
  • Muhammad Kamran Ashiq was detained on Sept. 18 for resisting arrest after an alleged harassment incident
  • Greek Ombudsman will investigate police officers suspected of involvement in his death, as per authorities
Updated 27 September 2024
Reuters

ATHENS: Greek authorities are investigating the death of a 37-year-old Pakistani migrant while in detention at a police station in central Athens, police said on Friday.
The body of Muhammad Kamran Ashiq was found early on Sept. 21 by the duty police officer in the station. The cause of his death is still under investigation, police said.
The police said in a statement that Ashiq was detained on Sept. 18 for resisting arrest after an alleged harassment incident for which no lawsuit was filed.
They said that Ashiq, who was injured, was later that day sentenced to several months in prison for resisting arrest and causing damage on foreign property.
He was held at the police station pending his transfer to prison and was moved to another detention area, where there is no camera surveillance, after a brawl with other detainees, police said.
Ashiq’s family lawyer, Maria Sfetsou, provided a different arrest date. She said Ashiq, who had a residence permit and was working as a delivery driver, was first detained on Sept. 13, and was being transferred to different prison stations without being able to contact relatives or her.
“The time he sustained the bruises was during the period he was under arrest,” Sfetsou said.
A preliminary investigation was conducted by the police department where Ashiq’s body was found.
The Greek Ombudsman will investigate the actions of police officers involved in the incident, the citizen protection ministry said on Friday.

Topics: Greek police

Pakistan-origin British politician resigns from UK Conservative Party over far-right shift

Pakistan-origin British politician resigns from UK Conservative Party over far-right shift
Updated 27 September 2024
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Pakistan-origin British politician resigns from UK Conservative Party over far-right shift

Pakistan-origin British politician resigns from UK Conservative Party over far-right shift
  • Sayeeda Warsi, first Muslim cabinet minister, has highlighted her heritage throughout her career
  • Her resignation comes at a time when Conservatives are looking for a new leader to replace Sunak
Updated 27 September 2024
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Baroness Sayeeda Warsi, Britain’s first Muslim cabinet minister of Pakistan origin, resigned from the Conservative Party’s whip in the House of Lords on Thursday, citing the party’s shift to the far-right in a social media post.

Born in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, Warsi’s parents migrated from Pakistan to the United Kingdom, and she frequently highlighted her Pakistani heritage during her political career.

She made history in 2010 by becoming Britain’s first Muslim cabinet minister under Prime Minister David Cameron’s government.

Warsi expressed concerns over her party’s treatment of a pro-Palestinian activist, Marieha Hussain, who was acquitted of racially aggravated charges. The British politician criticized the Conservative leadership for revisiting the issue despite the legal verdict in Hussain’s favor.

“It is with a heavy heart that I have today informed my whip and decided for now to no longer take the @Conservatives whip,” she wrote on X, formally Twitter.

“I am a Conservative and remain so but sadly the current Party are far removed from the Party I joined and served in Cabinet,” she continued. “My decision is a reflection of how far right my Party has moved and the hypocrisy and double standards in its treatment of different communities.”

She called it a “timely reminder of the issues” she raised in her book “Muslims Don’t Matter.”

Warsi’s resignation comes at a time when Conservative leaders are preparing to hold a conference to decide the party’s future, where four top members will make their case to replace Rishi Sunak, the former UK prime minister under whose stewardship the party lost the recent elections.

Topics: UK Conservative Party Baroness Sayeeda Warsi

Weeklong clashes in Pakistan’s northwest leave 39 dead amid ceasefire efforts

Weeklong clashes in Pakistan’s northwest leave 39 dead amid ceasefire efforts
Updated 27 September 2024
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Weeklong clashes in Pakistan’s northwest leave 39 dead amid ceasefire efforts

Weeklong clashes in Pakistan’s northwest leave 39 dead amid ceasefire efforts
  • Kurram tribal district has a history of bloody confrontations that have claimed hundreds of lives over the years
  • KP’s chief minister has asked police, district administration to take action and help reach a ceasefire in the area
Updated 27 September 2024
REHMAT MEHSUD

PESHAWAR: The weeklong clashes between two rival tribes over a property dispute in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province have left 39 people dead and 109 wounded, medics said on Friday, as local elders intensified efforts to enforce a ceasefire between the warring factions.
The Kurram district, formerly a semi-autonomous area, has a history of bloody confrontations that have claimed hundreds of lives over the years.
“We have received a total of 70 casualties, with 23 of them dead in the last seven days of clashes,” Dr. Mir Hassan Jan, Medical Superintendent at the District Headquarters Hospital in Upper Kurram, told Arab News.
Separately, District Health Officer for Lower and Central Kurram, Dr. Muhammad Faisal, said that two medical facilities in the area had received 16 bodies from the firefight.
“So far, we have a tally of 62 injured people and 16 others who are dead,” he added.
The clashes erupted last week over a piece of land claimed by both sides in Kurram, which has witnessed deadly tribal conflicts, sectarian violence, and militant attacks in the past.
A major conflict that began in 2007 continued for years before being resolved with the help of a jirga, a council of tribal elders, in 2011. However, another round of clashes broke out over a property dispute in July this year, leaving 38 dead and 158 injured in the same district.
Hameed Hussain, Member of the National Assembly (MNA) from Kurram district, told Arab News that local elders, along with security and district administration officials, had stepped up efforts to ensure a ceasefire without further delay.
“The government’s approach to dealing with the situation or enforcing a ceasefire is slow,” he noted. “But we have expedited efforts and approached its officials, along with rival tribes’ elders, in hopes of negotiating a settlement.”
Earlier, police said the warring tribes were using heavy and small weapons, blocking several routes, including the Parachinar-Peshawar highway.
KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur has directed the police and district administration to take action and help reach a ceasefire through a jirga.
“For the last year, law and order issues have plagued Kurram, which should be resolved permanently,” Gandapur said in a statement.
“For a durable solution, a committee comprising members of the national and provincial assemblies, local elders, and law enforcement agencies should be formed to bring the warring tribes together and resolve the issue once and for all,” he added.
 

Topics: kurram kurram district

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