ISLAMABAD: Children presented the rhythm of their emotions and feelings for the motherland at the first day of the Children’s Festival on Tuesday. The event is part of the month-long celebrations being organised by the Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA) to mark the 70th Independence Day of Pakistan. PNCA Director General Syed Jamal Shah was the chief guest on the occasion, who also distributed prizes among the children. The two-hour performance included national songs by school children a magic show and the performance of local singer Muhammad Ali. The children of the Quality Public School presented a song ‘shukriya Pakistan, muskara Pakistan’. Rimsha Malik of the Arid Agriculture School sand ‘jugg jug jeeway mera piyara watan’, while the students of the Bahria Foundation School sang ‘watan ki mitti gwah rehna’. The students of the Divisional Public School presented ‘hamara Pakistan, piyara Pakistan’. Syed Zain and Syed Saad, the students of Islamabad College of Arts and Sciences (ICAS), spellbound the audience by playing ‘ye watan tumhara hae, tum ho pasbaan iss kay’ on violin and keyboard. Bushra Saim and Marriyam Saim, another young duo, mesmerised the audience with their mature singing ‘sohni dharti’. The Islamabad Model College for Girls, G-6/1, and the Islamabad Model School I-9 also presented songs. Abbas Nanha, the magician, was also very good in amusing the children with his tricks. Singer Muhammad Ali entertained the audience with his professionally mature style and rendition of national songs. Nisha Ahmed, the Iqra University student, conducted the show. She said such events groomed the confidence and performance of talented children. Fareeda, a teacher from the Bahria Foundation School, said that the extracurricular activities broadened the vision of the children and helped groom their creative skills. Such activities are of great importance in the education system, she said. Speaking on the occasion, Syed Jamal Shah said: “Our children are very talented. With the right guidance and grooming, they can grow to become active and dynamic citizens. Pakistan is a unique country where over sixty per cent of the population is young. That is a big resource for productive initiatives if our youth is trained and educated according to the national needs. Our youth also need to learn about the soil of their motherland to take pleasure and pride of what it offers.” He said our civilization was over 9,000 years old and the culture was rich and diverse. “No other land offers such things. We shall need to focus to know it so that our decisions should be we well-informed choices. Youth can change the fate of our nation with well-informed choices,” he said. Published in Daily Times, August 16th 2017.