Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States Masood Khan has termed literature as a strong metaphor in bringing nations closer to each other.

Addressing the opening ceremony of Lahore Literary Festival in New York by the Asia Society, he said literature correlative connected the people of Pakistan and the United States.

The Ambassador said that festival would be instrumental in providing stimulus to promoting people-to-people relations between Pakistan and the United States.

He said Pakistan is often looked at through the prism of politics and strategic paradigms. But beyond these two sets of images, Pakistan is a custodian of strong and diverse literary traditions, he continued. He said these efforts are not influenced by governments, directly or indirectly. Your efforts and the efforts of these festivals are people driven.

He said the two countries were also working closely for promoting cultural ties besides working on other issues of shared concern including climate change, renewable energy and others. He said this is a powerful current which we must capture and integrate into our diplomatic activities, not to patronize it; not to steer it, but to benefit from its rich ambiance,” he said.

Earlier Director of Global Performing Arts and Cultural Initiatives Rachel Cooper termed the festival as an effective medium of soft diplomacy. She said that Lahore Literary Festival not only reflected creativity of Pakistan but also projected the country as leader in bringing people together.

Source: Radio Pakistan