Preparations have been completed for the launch ceremony on Saturday of the Sindh cultural festival at the ancient heritage site Moenjodaro, organisers said.
“This evening, the entire world will be sent a message that we are capable of taking care of our own heritage,” said Saqib Ahmed Soomro, secretary of the Sindh government’s Culture Department.
Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, the patron-in-chief of the ruling party in Sindh, the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), is organising Saturday night’s event at Moenjodaro, where one of the largest settlements of the Indus Valley civilization existed almost five thousand years ago.
Saturday’s ceremony will be attended by Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, Bakhtawar Bhutto-Zardari, former prime ministers Yousuf Raza Gilani and Raja Pervez Ashraf, several lawmakers and diplomats, as well as members of foreign media organisations.
near Larkana, some 400 kilometers (248 miles) north of the Pakistani port city of Karachi, Pakistan,
Organisers said there were seating arrangements for 500 people at the invite-only strictly-guarded event.
“Strict security arrangements have been put in place with over six thousand security personnel performing security duties,” said Iqbal Mehmood, the additional inspector-general of Sindh Police.
The festival drew controversy when archaeologists said they fear the stage and other event infrastructure could damage the delicate mud ruins at the Unesco World Heritage site known as the world’s oldest planned urban landscape built around 2600 BCE.
The controversy was cleared after the government satisfied experts that the work on the event infrastructure was being undertaken by archaeological experts and that no stage was being constructed on the actual ruins.
Opening ceremony song by @BakhtawarBZ & @mooroo4 https://t.co/tGgkToALlz #SindhFest
— Sindh Festival (@sindhfestival) February 1, 2014
The 15-day festival aims to bring attention to the rich heritage and culture of Sindh province.
Following the opening ceremony at Moenjodaro, the event will continue from Sunday, February 2 at the Bagh Ibn-e-Qasim Park, Karachi, and will end on February 8.
— With Asif Mehmood reporting from Moenjodaro
