Karachi Gears Up for World Culture Festival as City Authorities Pledge Full Support, Over 1,000 Artists From 150 Countries Expected

KARACHI: The city is preparing to host the world again. At a meeting chaired by Karachi Commissioner Syed Hassan Naqvi at the Arts Council of Pakistan on Tuesday, city authorities announced their full support for the third World Culture Festival, calling it a chance to show Karachi as a peaceful and culturally alive metropolis. The festival, organised by the Arts Council with the Sindh government, runs from October 29 to November 22.

Every agency, from KMC to the police, has a job to do

Briefing reporters alongside Arts Council President Ahmed Shah, the commissioner said the KMC, town administrations, police, SSU and Civil Defence will jointly run the arrangements. Security at venues and along routes is to be foolproof, while the KMC and towns will brand and beautify venues and major roads and keep sanitation up to standard. Naqvi said departments have been told to follow the chief minister and chief secretary’s instructions so international guests leave with a lasting good impression. Delegates will also be taken to landmarks including the University of Karachi, NED University, SZABIST and Mazar-i-Quaid. Deputy Commissioner South Javed Nabi Khosa will oversee liaison, a facilitation desk will be set up at the Arts Council, and schoolchildren will be brought to the festival in large numbers for cultural exchange.

More than 1,000 artists are on their way

Ahmed Shah said over 1,000 artists from more than 150 countries are expected, alongside more than 500 Pakistani performers. The programme spans theatre, music, painting and dance, with contributions from over 30 countries including the United States, Iran and Russia. It is a deliberate statement by the organisers: a city too often defined by its problems intends, for 25 days, to be defined by its stages instead.