Sindh Festival: A Mockery of Culture and the People of Pakistan

A refurbishment of MohenJodaro, they called it, a new perspective to Sindhi culture and a wake-up call for Pakistan. These were the claims that the recently held Sindh festival made. A grand celebration complete with fashion shows and artists from various industries complimented the festival. All this was to “save” the cultural heritage of Sindh in a grand way.

Of course, all this doesn’t come cheap. The festival cost a pretty penny, as was evident from the scale of it. The security alone cost a fortune. Not to mention the payments made to all the superstars who performed. All in all, an obscene amount of money was spent to make this event possible.

However, did this really help the Pakistani, or for that matter, the Sindhi culture? The answer is a resounding no! Far from helping doing anything to “help” the nation or its culture, the festival actually highlighted the gap between the elite 1% of this country and the rest of the flock. A festival exclusively for the privileged, while the rest of the nation was expected to sit and clap.

Many archaeologists concerned about the repercussions of the Sindh Festival on the cultural hertiage that is Mohenjo Daro

Apart from that, many of the arrangements have probably damaged what is a historical site. Large wooden and steel scaffolding were erected over and around the ruins, while heavy spotlights and lasers had been installed for a light show. Farzand Masih, head of the Department of Archaeology at Punjab University, said such activity was banned under the Antiquity Act. "You cannot even hammer a nail at an archaeological site," he said. "The laser and spotlights, secondly, will cause rapid decay at the site which is already exposed to many negative factors." He added that he had declined an invitation to attend.

A much better action would have been to tend to the needs of countless needy people of the country. After all, the PPP portrays itself as a party representing all of Pakistan. If not, then how about the needy population of Sindh? No, a profile raising festival for PPP and Asif Zardari is much more important than the needs of the people.

In a nutshell, Sindh festival is probably the most useless, selfish, waste of money that I have ever seen. Its only purpose was to cater to the whims of the spoilt brats of the Zardari family and used as a marketing platform for the PPP. The funds could have been utilized in a much better way to actually help the people of Pakistan, but instead it will definitely create more animosity towards the PPP rather than showing it in a good light.