Two-day Summer Festival concludes

PESHAWAR: A large number of people, including women and children, enjoyed the two-day Summer Festival that concluded at the Ladies Club in University Town on Sunday.
The festival was jointly organised by the Tourism Corporation Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (TCKP) and district administration, Peshawar.Secretary Sports, Tourism, Culture, Archaeology, Museums and Youth Affairs Department Dr Aftab Akbar Durrani was the chief guest at the concluding ceremony.
Besides families and visitors, Additional Secretary Sports and Tourism Naeem Anwar Sadozai, Managing Director TCKP Mushtaq Ahmad Khan, General Manager (Events) Muhammad Ali Syed, Deputy Commissioner Peshawar Riaz Khan Mehsud and Additional Deputy Commissioner Osama Waraich also attended the event.
Music bands Raksin Bismal, Khalid Malik and classic singer Nida Faiz mesmerised the audience with their melodious voices and performances. The troupes also presented traditional Mehsud, Khattak and Attan dances.
Later, the families thronged the stalls presenting traditional food, fast food, chapal kabab, sajji, dampukh, toti fruiti, ice creams, falooda, kehwa or green tea, handicrafts, gemstones, jewellery, Charsadda shoes, Chitrali embroidery, shawls and readymade garments depicting local culture.
There were about 25 stalls. Special staff had been deputed for children to enjoy different games and to paint their faces. Quiz and magic shows were also part of the activities besides a play land and prizes for children.
“We arranged the first summer festival in a bid to provide an opportunity of enjoyment and entertainment to the Peshawarites, particularly the womenfolk and children and to bring smiles on their faces,” the secretary told the participants and families.
He said more such programmes were also in the pipeline to promote peace and tourism in the province. He said the events were aimed at providing recreational and entertainment facilities to the people and also to let them know about their culture

and traditions.
“The festival is an effort to bring the Peshawrites out to enjoy their culture, food and values along with their families in a peaceful environment,” Deputy Commissioner Riaz Khan Mehsud said.
The official said participation by the people in the festival proved that more families wanted to come and enjoy if provided better environment. “The district government, in collaboration with other departments, will have more such events for the people of Peshawar in coming days,” added Riaz Mehsud.
A number of more such events by the KP government are in the pipeline. The Kalam Festival would be held in June and Shandur Polo Festival in August.The families and participants appreciated the TCKP and the district administration endeavours for arranging such events in the terror-hit city of Peshawar, which was once known as the “city of flowers”.