Revitalising cultural events

Karachi Arts Council organises first-ever Pakistan Literature Festival

Lahore: The first-ever three-day literary festival organised by the Art Council of Pakistan, Karachi (ACP) in Lahore, the UNESCO City of Literature, provided a breather and a big sigh of relief for the people, who are deeply divided on political fronts.

The political divide has also impacted our society’s social fabric. Since former Prime Minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan was deposed in an April vote of confidence, the schism has grown. Ahmed Shah, the architect of this memorable cultural event, managed to organise it successfully in such a toxic environment.

According to the organisers, approximately 70 thousand people, the majority of whom were youth, attended the festival, which was organised by the Alhamra Arts Council in Lahore and the Arts Council of Pakistan in Karachi.

Alhamra, located on the iconic Mall Road, was festooned with illuminations, big flexes, and portraits of famous literary and artistic figures.

Universities and colleges in Lahore participated in the literary festival to involve young people in the activity, which lasted three days and featured four sessions taking place concurrently in the halls of the Alhamra Art Centre. All of the celebrity sessions and concerts were free to the public.

For the past 15 years, Ahmed Shah has served as president of the Arts Council of Pakistan in Karachi and has successfully hosted the International Urdu Conference in the port city. Mr Ahmed intends to bring this cultural event to Gwadar, Muzaffarabad, Gilgit, Peshawar, and Islamabad. He also intends to travel to the United States, where the festival will be held in four cities.

”The event received a fantastic response. The presence of the youth literally lit up the city of hearts. There was something for everyone on all three days, including music, poetry, discussion, and interaction with leading figures in various fields such as the arts, literature, politics, journalism, and so on,” Mr Shah told Bol News over the phone.

Mr Shah stated that such an event was necessary given the recent wave of terror. ”No other weapon is as powerful as culture,” he stated, adding that the country was politically divided and that there was a great need to connect its provinces through art and culture, which was the festival’s main purpose.

Renowned writers, poets, and intellectuals, including Iftikhar Arif, Mustansar Hussain Tarar, Anwar Maqsood, Saleema Hashmi, Kishwar Naheed, Ataul Haq Qasmi, Hamid Mir, Sohail Warriach, Shan, Asma Shirazi, Bushra Ansari, Sohail Ahmad, Noorul Huda Shah, Asghar Nadeem Syed, and others, spoke on the occasion.

The festival’s opening-day speakers also included renowned poet Amjad Islam Amjad, who unfortunately died the same day. At the opening ceremony, a special prayer for his departed soul was also offered.

Iftikhar Arif, a well-known Urdu poet, spoke about the late Amjad Islam Amjad and his 50-year association with the late poet. He described Amjad as ”one of the most popular literary figures in the country,” with a huge contribution to poetry and screenwriting.

Anwar Maqsood, another living legend and renowned writer and humorist, also paid rich tributes to Amjad, saying the late poet had joined the ranks of great literary icons such as Allama Iqbal, Faiz Amed Faiz, Nasir Kazmi, Miraji, Ashfaq Ahmed, and Ahmed Bashir.

Anwar Maqsood told a packed house that, while the country’s situation was dire at the time, there was still hope. ”Urdu existed because of Lahore,” he explained, adding that Mr Shah had worked hard to organise this festival and had a strong interest in literature.

Throughout the weekend (February 10–12), the venue was buzzing with energy and excitement. Even seating arrangements were made on the Alhamra lawns and in Burney Garden, where concert stages were set up. Both halls were well equipped, with multicoloured lighting and a sound system. A large number of people visited the bookstalls, and a lavish food court also drew them in.

Shamsheer Khan, a Peshawar-based Punjab University student, praised the organisers’ efforts and urged the relevant parties to hold similar events across the country. In an interview with Bol News, he stated that representation from small provinces such as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan should be included at all such forums so that people, particularly in Punjab, can hear their accounts firsthand.

Ambreen, who is from Quetta, is a student at Punjab University who came to the event to hear the one and only Anwar Maqsood speak. ”I enjoy his [Anwar Maqsood’s] sense of humor. We rarely get to interact with him in Quetta, so I chose not to visit my parents on the weekend. Instead, I chose to stay in order to meet the legendary author,” she said.

According to senior journalist Hamid Mir, the country has experienced unannounced censorship in recent years. He proposed that people from Balochistan and KP be invited to the next edition of the festival, as Lahore is the country’s heart.

Speaking to Bol News, senior journalist Asma Shirazi also said that such gatherings provided the youth of this country with much-needed relief, allowing them to breathe freely. She stated that such gatherings enable young people to express their political dissatisfaction that exists in their hearts and minds. ”Throughout the weekend, there was a sizable crowd, with the majority of them being youth. Governments should encourage more of these events to take place across the country,” the journalist maintained.

According to Asma, cultural activities in the country have declined as a result of the war on terror and must be revitalised.

”I started this festival in Lahore because the city was a hub of art and culture, and people used to come here from Delhi and Chandigarh to get an education,” Shah noted, adding, ”Lahore is the city where the Pakistan Resolution was passed, as well as the home of Allama Iqbal. It is at least a thousand years old and has been a centre of Urdu for the last three centuries, which is why this event was launched from this city.”

Another reason for launching the festival in the city during the spring season, according to Shah, is the favourable weather conditions. Mr Shah responded to a question by saying that even at the Urdu conference in Karachi, 80 percent of the writers come from Lahore, Punjab, or Islamabad.

In response to another question, the president of the Karachi Arts Council stated that the Punjab government did not fund or invest in the festival. However, he stated that the Bank of Punjab (BoP) had contributed to the event. ”Because my goal is to revitalise cultural events in the country, I will accept funding from any government that offers it. It’s a national service, for God’s sake,” Shah pleaded.

Sohail Ahmed, also known as Azizi, told a packed audience at the festival that arts councils and cultural institutions were not doing enough to promote art and culture in the country. He cautioned the youth not to disregard ethics in order to gain more social media followers. He also revealed the truth behind his decision to leave commercial theatre, stating that he decided not to participate in theatre anymore due to vulgar dances.

In addition, Bushra Ansari, a renowned artist, led a session called ”Ahmed Bashir Ka Kumba” along with her siblings and relatives, including Neelam Ahmed Bashir, Asma Abbas, Zara Noor Abbas, and Ahmed Abbas, as panelists. They spoke to a packed house about their late father, Ahmed Bashir, and his contribution to the country’s Urdu literature.

The ‘Lahore Pur Kamal’ session, which featured Nayyer Ali Dada, Saleema Hashmi, Yousaf Salahuddin, and Kamran Lashari, also shed light on the history and culture of Lahore.