The Arts Council of Pakistan conducted the Literary Festival for this year in Quetta. This was done to encourage inter-cultural bonds between provinces. The President of the council stated in a press conference that his consistent intent is to converge all languages and cultures. The event was subsequently attended by famous individuals in literature, film, theatre, music, entertainment, and politics.
Following this, Mahira Khan, the famous celebrity also attended. However, during her discussion with Wajahat Rauf onstage, a member of the audience hurled an object on stage. It did not hit either of the stars sitting on stage. However, it definitely caused some inconvenience and a tense ambiance. Wajahat Rauf instantly directed the security to check but Mahira Khan dealt with it swiftly. She expressed her disapproval by refusing to perform some of her dialogues that the crowd was awaiting. Her positive framing and the manner in which she dealt with this alleviated some tension in the room. The two then continued their discussion after addressing this problematic behaviour.
After the event, however, the celebrity took this to social media. She made a post on Instagram with a lengthy caption, the crux of which is captured in one phrase she wrote, “Whoever the miscreant was, was one out of 10,000.” She elaborated on how often times, after incidents like these, people suggest cessation of events in these places with these people. However, this is not the ultimate solution. She proposed that the contrary,
“we NEED more vents such as these in more cites of Pakistan. The more you are exposed the more you are aware and educated. Normalise it and see what happens.”
