Keach Cultural Festival Highlights Education, Heritage, Literature, and Arts

Turbat:The second day of the **Keach Cultural Festival** was marked by a series of vibrant sessions focusing on education, journalism, social issues, archaeology, literature, and cultural performances. Renowned scholars, political leaders, journalists, and artists participated, making it a memorable day of intellectual and cultural exchange.

In the opening session, **Dr. Pervez Hoodbhoy**, educationist and intellectual, stressed that children should be taught in their mother tongue during early education to ensure strong linguistic foundations, while also highlighting the necessity of learning English for modern sciences. He underlined that *“religion and science are two separate domains – religion teaches ethics and lifestyle, while science is based on observation, logic, and experimentation.”*

Former Balochistan Chief Minister **Dr. Abdul Malik Baloch** emphasized that the province’s problems could only be resolved democratically, stating that respecting all ethnic languages and cultures was key to strengthening the state. He called for greater focus on literacy, poverty alleviation, and democratic rights.

Senior journalist **Shehzada Zulfiqar** highlighted the challenges of journalism in Balochistan, pointing out the lack of mainstream media coverage of provincial issues, while praising social media for giving a stronger voice to the people. **Quetta Press Club President Irfan Saeed** urged Makran-based journalists to play an active role in safeguarding regional journalism and building national-level networks.

The second session featured archaeologist **Dr. Kaleemullah Lashari**, who delivered a lecture on Balochistan’s ancient civilizations. He noted that **Mehrgarh** predates the Indus Valley civilizations of Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro, with connections to Mesopotamia, stressing the urgent need to preserve archaeological heritage for future generations.

In the third session, **students from the University of Turbat** presented business proposals under the supervision of **Professor Samina Faqeer**, with **Dr. Ghulam Jan** and **Haji Fida Hussain Dashti**, former president of the Balochistan Chamber of Commerce, serving as judges.

The literary segment featured **Dr. Ghafur Shad**, who spoke about *“Miras”*, a landmark book by Balochi poet Faqir Shad, calling it the “Shahnameh of Balochi literature.” The festival also witnessed the launch of *“Echo”*, an English poetry collection by **Zara Altaaz Sakhi**, a student of Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Cadet College Turbat, dedicated to **Malala Yousafzai**.

The cultural program included **theatrical performances** by Hafeez Lal, Shaukat Murad, and others, while playwright **Salahuddin Beus** entertained audiences with a satirical show based on Balochi folklore. A documentary on **Keach’s archaeological heritage** was also screened.

The day ended with lively compering by **Qadeer Luqman, Maqbool Nasir, Altaaz Sakhi,** and others, bringing together the spirit of culture, knowledge, and unity.