Peace week in Loralai Baluchistan (Janubi Pashtunkhwa)
By

Suleman Kakar
Sep 22—25 2009

Thanks to all friends of AIRRA, IDHR, SPO and Pashto Adabi Malgari for conducting a successful “Eid Peace Festival in Loralai” besides folk dance, drum beating and regional Pashto Peace Mushaira.
As you all will be aware Loralai was culturally very rich compared to other districts/areas of Janobi Pashtunkhwa throughout the history but after the rise of Taliban in Afghanistan and their support base in Pashtun areas of Pakistan, cultural activities were banned by Taliban  with the perceived support and patronage of state machinery. Since last 15 years all such type of cultural activities were banned and no one was allowed to participate.  The people were afraid to conduct folk dance, music and other cultural activities even in private.
Fear was systematically spread among the people that fundamentalist forces would interrupt and would not allow these festivities therefore the people never dared to conduct such activities or participate in them.
State machinery was another element which never provided support to these cultural activities or groups rather it never gave even security to such people or groups which was their constitutional duty but they directly or indirectly supported the extremists for their petty interests.
The democratic and progressive parties and groups were also terrorized to isolate them from the masses and such cultural and social activities which could segregate extremists from the mainstream.
But AIRRA, IDHR, SPO and Pashto Adabi Malgari accepted the challenge and planned a three days “Eid Peace Festival” in Loralai. We started folk dance on the second day of Eid on 22 September 2009 on 10am. First of all people were little bit scared but within a short time they participated very pro-actively and involved themselves enthusiastically in folk dance management, maintaining of order and facilitating musicians.
On the other day, the response was very unbelievable that they were calling us early in the morning to come early and start the event. On the other day we didn’t need to even enter the ground for management as the people took all administration in their hands and senior people and activists took control of the event themselves.
  On the fourth day of Eid on 24th September, we conducted a “Pashto Peace Mushaira” where hundreds of people from every walk of life participated besides poets and writers, which was presided by Syed Khair Mohammad Arif while Suleman Kakar and Qari Juma Gul Musafir were also in the presidium besides Arif Tabassum.
Poets from adjoining districts and cities like Sinjawi, Ziarat and Killa Saifullah participated and presented their poetry on the issue the nation was facing and the future of peace and prosperity and the role of the youth and leadership of the nation.