Preparations for a nine-day mega festival “Derajat 2021”, to be held from March 20 to 28 in Dera Ismail Khan (DIK), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is in full swing. Member Provincial Assembly KPK Faisal Amin Khan Gandapur told APP on Wednesday that the festival would be organized by Divisional Administration DIK and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Culture and Tourism Authority. He said the objective of the festival is to bring people of the region closer, present amalgamation of its exotically rich cultural blend and promote it as a cultural tourism destination as well as to nurture picaresque beauty of the area. “Derajat, the traditional festival, has an audience of more than 250,000 people over three days,” he said. He said that Derajat has remained a distinct historical, cultural and administrative entity over the past centuries. Faisal Amin Khan said that it stood high due to its unique culture, traditions, folklores, music and traditional sports. “Derawals -the people of Derajat-share a common history, heritage,cultural and social bonds”, he added. He said lying at the crossroads of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab and Balochistan, Dera Ismail Khan has always remained an important part of Derajat.