PESHAWAR: Annual Pashto day was celebrated in a private law college here on Thursday to display cultural diversity through various activities.

The annual event arranged under the aegis of Law Students Society (LSS) was meant to sensitise students about the significance of local arts and culture through various activities on the campus.

“We want the world to see that residents of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are peace-loving people and want books, not guns,” was the main theme of the annual event. A large number of visitors recorded their brief peace quotes on the display wall in the law college.

Addressing the inaugural ceremony, Principal Prof Zulfiqar Ali Khan said that students were encouraged to foster a deeper sense of appreciation for indigenous arts and culture and build a worldview to promote a peace narrative. He stated that the annual event was aimed at raising mutual respect and regard for universal values alongside region’s cultural tapestry.

Annual Pashto day celebrated to showcase cultural diversity

A group of students including Osama Ali, Salwa Javed and Laiba Khan stole the show through their performance.

Several bookstalls, painting exhibition, traditional dishes and musical concert were main features of the event wherein a large number of students, parents and faculty members from in and around Peshawar thronged the event. A few groups of students were attired in traditional dress while another group performed to entertain visitors.

Maliha Imran, chief organiser of the event, told this scribe that stalls displayed KP diverse cultural heritage while painting exhibition enthralled the audience. The Burki students’ band captivated through its electrifying musical symphonies. She said that most law students showed their latent talent on the occasion and garnered applause from the participants.

Rights activists Aminullah Khan Kundi and Naila Khattak said on the occasion that students should continue participating in such healthy and positive activities on the campus. They said that it would help them to develop a taste for socialising and promoting harmony among youth.

“I believe such cultural events help us to understand our own local social interaction in the light of our history and heritage. Also, it will help us to promote a strong peace narrative. KP is home to linguistic and cultural diversity,” said Aishma Khan Shinwari, a participant of the event.

Published in Dawn, May 24th, 2024