Art has long been known as a medium of conveying human emotion, aspiration and experiences; Jamal Shah
Islamabad – 27 June 2019: Pakistan Peace Collective (PPC) – a project of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting held a national exhibition of paintings prepared by students from 24 universities across the country. Prime Minister’s Special Assistant on Information and Broadcasting Dr. Firdous Aashiq Awan inaugurated the event as the chief guest at the Pakistan National Council of Arts (PNCA), Islamabad.
Conceived and executed under PPC’s District Level Engagement Program (DLEP), the exhibition highlighted the need for intervention in four thematic areas; promoting safer charity, interfaith harmony, tolerance and enhancing resilience in the society to counter violent extremism. The exhibition received over 3000 entries from across the country and a jury of distinguished judges selected 70 best among them for display at PNCA.
The exhibition attracted crowds of art enthusiasts who expressed profound appreciation for the talent, drive and imagination of the young artists, who gave out important messages for peace, harmony and resilience against extremism through the paint and brush. Academicians, religious scholars, CVE experts, senior journalists, policy makers, government officials, students and people from different walks of life attended the exhibition.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, the Prime Minister’s Special Assistant on Information and Broadcasting, Dr. Firdous Aashiq Awan said: “I believe arts is an effective source of expression. Art is an equally effective medium of communication; a medium that leaves lasting impressions on hearts and minds.” She emphasized on the need of educating the future generations about all forms of knowledge and media of expression. “Our children need both religious as well as contemporary education,” she said, “We should be abreast with technology and modern innovation to be able to compete with contemporary world,” she added. She praised PPC for organizing the event.
Chief Executive Officer, Pakistan Peace Collective (PPC) Mr. Shabbir Anwar informed the audience about his organization’s initiatives aimed at peace building and countering terrorism and violent extremism in the country. He expressed hopes that the event will work towards achieving PPC’s long term ambition of recreating a peaceful and harmonious Pakistan. He thanked the participants and guests for making the event a success.
Director PNCA, Mr. Jamal Shah, while addressing the audience said: “Art has long been known as a medium of conveying human emotion, aspiration and experiences. The excellent art pieces displayed in this exhibition are reflective of how our younger generation has been able to make their artistic endeavors a vehicle for disseminating constructive messages for societal well being.”
The top two best painting chosen by the jury were given cash prizes and certificates of appreciation.
PPC’s District Level Engagement Program (DLEP) reaches out to different sections of the society to sensitize them against violent extremism and terrorism. The art exhibition is an extension of its student engagement program in universities from Gilgit to Quetta.
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