Historic ‘Sibi Mela’ starts

Sibi: The five-day historic ‘Sibi Mela’ started in Sibi, Balochistan on Sunday. Scores of events including flower show, fireworks, contest of national songs, folk dance, tent pegging, motorcycle jumps and horse dances are part of the festival. Agriculture and industrial exhibition will also be part of the festival. An exhibition of beautiful and rare animals would be held for attraction of participants. Local artists and those from other parts of the country would also perform during the festival. Local and provincial dignitaries will also attend the event among others. More than 3,000 Frontier Constabulary, police and other security officials have also been posted for security of the Mela. Sibi Mela is a cultural festival has been organised over the past several centuries, since the 15th century. Thousands of Baluchi tribesmen used to gather along with their animals in mid February. This tradition still carries on. Tribesmen flock from all over Baluchistan, parts of Sindh and Punjab with their animals. On January 25, a high-level meeting chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan had approved a series of cultural programmes aimed at showcasing Pakistan’s three-thousand-year-old civilisation, diversity and cultural richness globally. Expressing his views on the occasion, the prime minister had said the cultural programmes would play a pivotal role in portraying Pakistan’s positive image across the globe and would bring a quality enjoyment for the people of the country.