Pakistan to Present Its Soft Image at Union Square
By Mohsin Zaheer
New York: Pakistan’s permanent representative to the United Nations Abdullah Hussain Haroon and Pakistani Peace Builders (PPB) will host the 1st Annual New York Sufi Music Festival on Tuesday at Union Square, New York City, with an objective to present “soft image” of Pakistan through cultural diplomacy.
The Mohatta Palace Museum has played a key curatorial role in gathering this unprecedented selection of Sufi musicians from though out Pakistan for this historic celebration. All the folk artist arrived New York and they rehearsed at Pakistan Mission New York for their Tuesday performance.
The Pakistani Peace Builders NY Sufi Music Festival is an independent cultural diplomacy campaign to reaffirm the true values – humanistic values of tolerance and peace – of Pakistan’s majority while, celebrating Pakistan’s rich cultural heritage through the universal language of music.
In light of attacks on this July’s attacks on tribal elders in Mohmand, Data Gunj’s Sufi shrine in Lahore and the Times Square bombing attempt in May, PPB stands in solidarity with New Yorkers and the world against violence perpetuated in the name of Muslims and Islam, said by Mahnaz Fancy, co-director ofo PPB.
An all star group of musicians from Pakistan’s key provinces perform for three hours including:
* Pakistan’s Living Legend Abida Parveen
• Zeb and Haniya, of the famed Coke Studio
* Akhtar Chanal Zehri from Balochistan
* Soung Faqirs from the Sachal Sarmast Shrine in Sindh
* Rafaqat Ali Khan representing the Shaam Chaurasi Gharana in Punjab
* Mekaal Hasan Band, Pakistan’s most critically acclaimed contemporary band
* Abid Hussain and Abdul Rasheed, dhol virtuosos
* Muhammad Ahmed, matka (clay pot) percussionist
* Muhammad Talib and Riaz Hussain, damboori virtuosos
* Sachoo Khan, Sarangi/Surinda virtuoso
* Ghous Bux, Flute/Alghoza virtuoso
* Tari Khan, Tabla virtuoso
“Sufi Festival is a step towards peace, said by Ambassador Haroon while talking to this correspondence and added, “I took one step and if others will do the same a journey towards destiny of peace will start.”
According to ambassador Haroon US embassy Islamabad issued Visas to all 40 folk artists in one hour.
Ghous Baksh Brohi, a folk artist from Balochistan, the largest province by area of Pakistan, constituting approximately 48% of the total area of the country, said, ” One and only thing which US should do for Pakistan is to trust Pakistan.”
