On Monday, a press conference was held in Karachi by the President Arts Council (Mohammed Ahmed Shah) of Pakistan (ACP). He was accompanied by the President of Balochistan Union of Journalists Khalil Ahmed and Quetta Press Club General Secretary Banaras Khan. In the press conference, he announced that the Pakistan Literary Festival will be held in Quetta on May 15 and 16. The festival will be conducted in Balochistan University of Information Technology, Engineering and Management Sciences. As per tradition, it will be attended by an array of distinguished figures in the realms of literature, cinema, stage, music, and entertainment, as well as statesmen and women.
In his speech, the president highlighted how the ACP, Karachi is being run as an NGO. Then he reflected on the strong ties between Sindh and Baluchistan that this event will revitalise. Shah stated, “Organising a festival in Balochistan is a heartwarming endeavour. I have come to Quetta to host a literary festival. I aspire to embrace all languages and cultures.” Correspondingly, in the sub-events of the Pakistan Literary festival, long-standing historical bonds between the two provinces will also be discussed. He further mentioned that the festival embraces a range of local languages, such as Balochi, Brahvi, and Pashto. The president acknowledged the involvement of people from Balochistan in the Arts Council. For example, he recognised young individuals from Lyari and the students from Khuzdar who came to study in this council.
With this initiative, President reassured the people that he would continue to carry out literary events of significance in Balochistan. More importantly, he stated that his aim was to integrate and connect art institutions from different provinces. He explicitly expressed that this matter is not ‘political’ in any sense, but rather should be perceived as a “cultural event”
