All set for GB, Punjab music festival next month

LAHORE

Walled City of Lahore Authority (WCLA) has finalised arrangements for the first ever three-day Gilgit-Baltistan and Punjab Music Fusion Festival to be held in February, 2017.

The WCLA officials said the festival was being organised by the authority in collaboration with Alhamra Arts Council and the Gilgit-Baltistan government. They said the festival would be held on 2nd, 3rd and 4th of February, 2017. The event will be open to the public, officials said, adding the first two days of the festival will be held at Alhamra on The Mall and the third day of the festival would be held at Greater Iqbal Park.

For the first time, the fusion of two cultures music will be presented before the public of Lahore. Music experts from Punjab and GB will be presenting their best songs, folk dances and instrumentals in the festival. Performances like Shepherd Dance, Shina song, Shaman dance, Fusion songs and Sword dance will be performed in this festival along with the Punjabi Dhamaal and Ludi.

Performers like Krishan Laal Bheel, Areeb Azhar, Balti Dance Troupe, Islam Habib, Maham Suhail, Wahid Allen Faqir and Ghulam Nabi will be performing, said WCLA’s media manager Tanya Qureshi. She said crafts and cuisine stalls of Punjab and GB will also be put up at Alhamra. The people will have a chance to taste the traditional cuisines of both the provinces and buy the cultural items and arts and crafts.

Director General WCLA Kamran Lashari said that this would be first of its kind festival in Lahore where the two different melodies would meet to produce a new symphony. “These are two diversified cultures and I guess these need much more projection. This is a small step we are taking to highlight and hopefully we will make it a yearly feature,” he said. Lashari maintained that the idea of inter-provincial exchange of culture is at the core of this programme. The multitude of Hunzais based in Lahore/Punjab and also the Punjabis shall experience a few various facets of the Gilgit-Baltistan ethnicity in a new light, in a way that we create an alternate reality of that region.

Tania Qureshi added that the festival was divided into two parts outdoor and indoor. The festival will start at 12 noon daily and indoor performances will start at 7:30pm daily. The closing ceremony of the festival will be held at Greater Iqbal Park. This festival will also give a message of unity among Pakistanis to the entire world and showcase the richness of our culture.

LWMC: The 45th meeting of Board of Directors of Lahore Waste Management Company (LWMC) was held at Shaheen Complex. 

LWMC Chairman Ahmad Rafay Alam chaired the meeting. The board unanimously approved certain agendas including appointment of Dr Shezra Mansab Ali Khan, MNA and Dr Cusrow J. Dubash, Vice Rector FC College University as new directors of the board. Other agendas approved were confirmation of Moeez-ur-Rehman, chief financial officer, prequalification of firms for construction of lot 3 & 4 of sanitary landfill site, Lakhodair, contract between LWMC and Multan Metro Bus Service and matters regarding improvement of SWM services in three districts of Lahore division (Kasur, Nankana Sahib and Sheikhupura). Resignation submitted by Suhail Kabir, member board of directors, was approved in the meeting.

MoU: Virtual University (VU) and University of Agriculture, Peshawar have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for research, development, innovation and joint education. 

VU Rector Dr Naveed A Malik and University of Agriculture, Peshawar Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Zahoor Ahmed Swati signed the MoU in a ceremony here on Monday. 

The MoU envisages collaboration between the two institutions in academics, research and infrastructural resources. This linkage also provides collaboration options such as utilisation of e-learning concepts for instructional design and curriculum development. 

Virtual University will also provide its Learning Management System, examination system and international quality academic contents to University of Agriculture. 

Prof Dr Zahoor Ahmed Swati admired the Virtual University’s role in delivery of quality education across the country. He was of the view that the MoU would be mutually beneficial in promoting quality higher education.

PMA: A delegation of Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) has returned from China after attending an annual scientific meeting of Chinese Medical Association (CMA) from January 13 to January 18 at Nanjing.

According to a press release issued on Monday, the delegation included Dr Ashraf Nizami, president PMA centre, Dr SM Qaisar Sajjad, secretary general, and Dr Mirza Ali Azhar, former secretary general of PMA centre.

“During this event we had exclusive meetings with World Medical Association, British Medical Association, American Medical Association, Sri Lankan Medical Association, Indian Medical Association, Hong Kong Medical Association, Macao Medical Association, Thailand Medical Association and some other medical associations who were present there to attend this conference,” the PMA delegation said. 

Pakistan Medical Association and Chinese Medical Association will organise Pak-China Medcong in China January 2018. A big delegation of PMA doctors from different specialties will attend this conference in China. A special meeting with CMA was held on “One Belt One Road Regional Medical Joint Research Centre / Training Centre” project to promote joint development and progress of Medical Science and Technology among China and Pakistan. 

The PMA delegate met with President of World Medical Association who invited the delegation to become the member of WMA.