Under the auspices of the Arts Council of Pakistan Karachi, the 24th day of the “World Culture Festival Karachi” featured the inauguration of a 6-day “Sindh Artists Exhibition” at the Ahmed Pervez Art Gallery. The event was inaugurated by the Governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Faisal Karim Kundi, along with Provincial Culture Minister Syed Zulfiqar Ali Shah and President of 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 Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Faisal Karim Kundi, commenting on the exhibition, expressed his gratitude to Minister Shah for the invitation, stating that the Arts Council of Pakistan Karachi and the Sindh Culture Department are 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. He emphasized that promoting our culture can 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. Provincial Culture Minister Syed Zulfiqar Ali Shah stated that the President of the Arts Council of Pakistan Karachi Muhammad Ahmed Shah deserves congratulations for organizing such a grand festival. He emphasized the importance of conveying messages of peace and culture, adding that the Sindh government will collaborate with the Arts Council to hold a cultural festival in Peshawar as well. He noted that over 40 countries are participating in the “World Culture Festival Karachi,” and despite some challenges, they cannot be deterred. He mentioned that he successfully held a festival in Quetta and that Peshawar is also a city filled with kind-hearted people. He expressed happiness at seeing 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 “World Culture Festival Karachi.” He noted that no festival in the world lasts more than three weeks, and they are set to create a global record by organizing the largest festival in history. He mentioned that they have 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. He stated that they are 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, emphasizing that buildings are not the issue—culture is the greatest weapon. 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 is gaining momentum and that culture is essential for society’s survival. He lamented that thousands of years of Pashtun culture have been buried, asserting that we are not cowards, we also did a successful event in Quetta, and we are also ready to go to Peshawar. He noted that despite protests and conflicts in Karachi, the festival continues successfully. Addressing the Governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, he expressed a desire for him to play a role in promoting culture.
The exhibition features paintings by numerous artists, including Sm Naqvi, Raheela Abro, Sana Nezam, Maqbool Ahmed, Sohail Hashmi, Salman Farooqi, Bandah Ali, Masood A.Khan, Muhammad Zeeshan, Misbah Pervaiz, Manzoor Mangi, Hafsa Shaikh, Anas Abro, Akram Spaul, Abdul Jabbar Gul, Chitra Preetum, Tanweer Farooqi, Maryam Abbasi, Rafique Soomro, Sm Raza, Shakir Ali, Rajeshwari, Marooha Mohsin, Arif Ansari, Shammi Ahmed, Moazzam Ali, Mehtab Ali, Faiz Supro, As Rind, Nusrat Raza Mangi ,Nazar Ul Islam ,Gul Bakht Agha ,Manzoor Ali Solangi ,Noman Siddiqui ,Ustad Rustam Khan ,Usra Shaikh ,Gn Gazi ,Nasrullah Baloch ,Sanober Ansari ,Hussain Chandio ,Afsah Ahmed, Ume Farwa Ayaz ,Shahzad Baloch ,Kabeer Atta Muhammadubaid Syed ,Kashif Shahzad ,Ghulam Abbas Kawangar, Saleem Raza ,Farrukh Shahab ,Habiba Mujeeb Ur Rehman ,Yasir Noor,Jawad Ahmed Jan ,Stephen Yaqoob ,Zeenat Khan ,Mashkoor Raza ,Wahab Jaffer ,Ali Memon ,Sikander Ali Mallah ,Fazal Ellahi Khan ,Ejaz Talpur ,Saba Qayoom Leghari ,Harji Lal ,Abdul Malik Channa ,Ghulam Bheel ,Afsheen Soomro ,Najeeb Jatoi ,M. Kashif Khan ,Shahid Rassam ,Imran Soomro ,Inam Hussain ,Zarnaab Baloch ,Jaweria Fatima, . Maham Siddiqui ,Aqib Faiz ,Shuakat Ali Khokhar ,Hira Mushtaque ,Hameer Somroo ,Zubair Ahmed Bhutto ,Kiran Aslam ,Mohammad Hanif ,Qasim Bugti and Jamal Aashiqain. It is important to note that the 6-day “Sindh Artist Exhibition” will continue until October 24.
