Literary festival kicks off today

Capital Development Authority (CDA) is arranging a three-day literary festival, starting on Friday (today) with the primary objective of offering a platform to the public to foster the advancement of literature, culture, art, and, more importantly, book reading. A diverse range of programmes have been scheduled for the three-day festival at 4pm, including Mushaira, Heer Goai, Manzil-Ba-Manzil Islamabad theater, cultural dances, and musical performances. The musical events will commence at 8pm on the day of the festival and will take place at the Liaqat Gymnasium located inside Islamabad Sports Complex. A selection of notable artists from the country, named Shafqat Amanat Ali, Hadiqa Kayani, Sahir Ali, and Sanam Marvi, are scheduled to perform at these events. Furthermore, a panel discussion focused on the various languages spoken in Pakistan has also been incorporated into the festival's lineup. Renowned poets including Iftikhar Arif, Anwar Sahoor, Khurshid Rizvi, Fawad Hasan Fawad, Akbar Ehsan will participate in the Mushaira. Similarly, Hafeez Khan, Dr Saghara Sadaf, Abbasian Yousafzai, and Dr Muhammad Yusuf will participate in the panel discussion. In this regard, Chairman Capital Development Authority Captain Noorul Amin Mengal said that the primary objective behind organising the Islamabad Literary Festival is to stimulate the growth of literature, culture, art, and reading habits. He further asserted that every effort shall be made to ensure that the festival becomes a consistent and significant event throughout the country. Furthermore, he said that in this modern age of technology, the younger generation is gradually distancing itself from its literary heritage. The youth's inclination towards reading books to grasp a better understanding of their culture and literature is also waning. Therefore, organising such events could potentially serve as a means to captivate the younger generation and draw their interest towards their cultural and literary roots.   Published in The Express Tribune, March 17th, 2023.

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