Promotion of Chitral’s diverse culture urged

PESHAWAR, March 25: Chitral MPA Syed Sardar Hussain Shah on Tuesday said his district was home to rich cultural diversity, which should be promoted at all levels for peace in the region.

He was speaking as the chief guest during the cultural and musical night organised by the provincial directorate of culture at Nishtar Hall here. The lawmaker said of the 27 languages in the province, 11 were spoken in Chitral.

He said the provincial directorate of culture deserved praise for organising grand cultural events, including those of Chitral. Shah said Chitralis were the most peace-loving people and that diversity of their rich culture should be shared with people of other parts of the militancy-hit province.

“I am pleased to see my people enjoy their own cultural beauty in Peshawar. Also, Peshawarites will know through such events that how talented Chitrali performers are,” he said. The MPA said sharing cultural excellences would promote mutual understanding and awareness about unity in cultural diversity.

“Cultural activities also help us remove clouds of despondency and fear and bring us together to promote peace and social cohesion,” he said. Chief organiser of the event Mahtab Ziyab urged the government to give exposure to Chitral’s rich cultural diversity. He said the show was organised to promote Chitrali cultural diversity at the provincial level.

Lawmaker says cultural activities bring people together for social cohesion, peace Ziyab said Chitral was spread over a large tract, where the people of diverse cultures had been living for centuries. He said Chitral cultural diversity was quite popular in the world but unfortunately, it was not promoted in the country both at provincial and national levels. The chief organiser said music, dance and poetry of Chitralis depicted a culture of peace and should be promoted at all levels. He said it was for the first time that Chitrali performers were given a chance to exhibit their talents on stage in Peshawar.

“I am thankful to PTI chairman Imran Khan and his party’s government in the province for providing us with a rare opportunity to exhibit Chitrali culture,” he said. Chitrali folk singers Shujaulhaq, Zafar Hayat, Siddique Khan, Azam Khan, Taukal Khan and Dildar Ali AfShan sang their region’s popular songs written by local poets, including Faizan Ali, Mirza Ali Jan Parwana, Afzalullah and Shaukat Ali. Abdul Basit, a resident of Kusham village in Chitral district and second-year student of Government College, Peshawar, said he was very happy to listen to songs in own mother tongue.

“It is for the first time that I am attending a Chitrali cultural and musical show in Nishtar Hall. Why should we be strangers in our own province?” Ihtishamul Haq, another Chitrali student of the University of Peshawar, said he felt that his long-drawn-out thirst to listen to Khowar songs in Peshawar had finally quenched.

He said eight different musical instruments were used in Chitrali music, while the local dance had many forms. Mohsin Jafar played different tunes on Chitrali sitar and received a round of applause from the audience. Saeed Khan, Afsar Ali, Ameer Hamza and Munawar Shah Rangeen performed humourous skits in Khowar language drawing laughter from the audience.

Shafiq and his colleagues gave drum performance, while a group of Chitrali levies personnel entertained participants with Chitrali dance. Students, teachers and families from Chitral showed up at the event in large numbers.–Dawn