Sindh Governor Kamran Khan Tessori on Thursday inaugurated World Culture Festival. President Arts Council of Pakistan, Karachi Muhammad Ahmed Shah, welcomed the governor. Diplomats from various countries, including Sri Lanka, Turkey and Oman, attended the festival. Governor Tessori said there is no precedent for such a world culture festival in Pakistan’s history. He expressed his honour in being invited by Shah and extended a warm welcome to the artists coming from 40 countries. He emphasised that culture and heritage are the pride of every nation and despite facing numerous challenges and economic crisis, only resilient nations can overcome them. He added, “Only Ahmed Shah could spread joy on the gloomy faces of the people and he deserves appreciation because he provides platforms to artists. “The credit for reviving the cultural festival goes to Karachi and for 35 days, Pakistan’s positive image will be seen worldwide. “The Sindh government has played a significant role in organising this festival and today marks a day of pride.” President Arts Council Muhammad Ahmed Shah expressed optimism that the good times have arrived and Pakistani artists will continue to bring honour to the country internationally. He refuted the label of terrorism associated with Pakistan, emphasising that “they are people full of love and warmth, inheritors of the three ancient civilisations-Taxila, Harappa, and Mohenjo-Daro”. “We do not seek competition with anyone; our goal is to promote a culture, which can counter terrorism, the president of Arts Council Pakistan, Karachi, added. He further shared that Ukraine, Palestine, the USA, Germany and India will participate in the festival, highlighting that there is “no political agenda and every artist-regardless of language, ethnicity or colour-will be performing”. “Several universities are involved, ensuring the younger generation stays connected with us. A joint international song produced by Pakistan, South Africa and Nepal was also presented as a demo, with plans to include 20 more countries in the festival next November,” Shah added. Provincial Minister of Culture and Tourism, Syed Zulfiqar Ali Shah, stated that “Ahmed Shah has turned his words into reality, as international artists are indeed present today at the arts council”. He added that music and art are universal languages of love and other provinces should also host similar cultural programmes. The “World Culture Festival Karachi” will feature over 100 cultural performances and more than 450 artists, including Pakistani and international theatre, music, and dance groups, as well as fine art exhibitions. Artists from countries such as Palestine, Turkey, India, UAE, US, UK, Germany, China, Australia, Russia, Egypt, Iraq, South Africa, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Norway, Brazil, Spain, Belgium, Ukraine, Oman, Qatar, Malta, Zimbabwe, Bangladesh, Azerbaijan, Scotland, Hungary, France, Uganda, Belarus, Ireland, Kosovo, Burundi, Congo, Rwanda, Algeria and Switzerland will be performing. The festival will also include Qawwali, classical dance, performances by Akhtar Chanal, Wahab Bugti, Mai Dhai, instrumentalist Abdullah, Faqeer Zulfiqar and traditional instruments like Sarangi and flute, enhancing the festival’s grandeur. Notable international artists such as Sahib Pashazade, Kamran Karimov, Peace Jules from Rwanda, Le Dia, and Gasasira Rugamba Serge will perform, along with Madan Gopal from Nepal, Wahab Shah Dance Company, Farhan Raees Khan, Ahsan Bari, Arman Rahim, and Mustafa Baloch, adding a wide variety of musical performances. Mani Chao received applause for his rendition of ‘Peer Di Jugni’, and Mumtaz Afzal captivated the audience with classical and folk performances on the banjo.