WASHINGTON: Pakistan’s embassy in Washington DC
will start organizing a nationwide mushaira (live poetry
recitation) annually
apart from making it a monthly feature in this area.
This was announced by Pakistan’s Ambassador to the
United States Husain Haqqani on Friday (November 7) during his
concluding remarks at the end of a mushaira, which he described
as the first one of many such events being planned in the coming months.
The event also marked the birth anniversary of
Allama Iqbal (Shair-e-Mashriq: Poet of the East) on November 9.
The Ambassador told the gathering that the date was moved from November
9 to November 7 for the community’s convenience.
A significant number of the Pakistani-American
community members attended the evening.
Highlighting the importance of cultural aspects of
the nation, Husain Haqqani remarked that such activities will also
provide overseas Pakistanis and international community with an
opportunity to see Pakistan from a cultural perspective instead of
security issues only.
The Ambassador hoped that such cultural events will
give the community members a chance to stay connected to their
culture which they miss being away from the homeland.
Watch a clip
The Mushaira was preceded by an art exhibition of a
Pakistani artist Mehtab Ali. (Text and photos by Rana
Fawad)
poetry
recitation) annually
apart from making it a monthly feature in this area. 
