Political Framework

Recently Pakistan is passing through very difficult times due to the turmoil not only because of the deteriorating security situation but also to the political battleground drawn between the President Asif Ali Zardari (PPP) and the Sharif Brothers, leaders of the PML – Nawaz group. Lahore came under the siege of rioting and strikes by general public on 25th of February after a much controversial verdict of the Supreme Court of Pakistan whereby the Chief Minister of Punjab, Mr. Shahbaz Sharif was disqualified to hold the office. The incidents of Lahore gave way to a nationwide protest and on the 27th February Governor Rule was imposed in Punjab by the ruling PPP. The PML-Nawaz activists, lawyers and civil society joined hands and protested very strongly through out the country.

Under such circumstances where one person already died in the street protests in Rawalpindi on 27th February and the Britain had stopped its citizens to travel to Lahore, it was everybody’s guess that the Spring Festival planned to be held on 28th February, 2009 in Lahore, the Provincial Capital of Punjab and the die-hard center of the Sharif brothers, will be cancelled. But the German Embassy took a brave decision to hold the event as planned.

German-Pakistani Spring Festival 2009

The venue for the event was a Farm House outside Lahore main city. The lawns were spacious enough to provide separate places to the participating organizations to display their items for the road show. KAS Pakistan displayed its banners, Flexi standers, publications and brochures and informed about its programs and projects. The invitees for this festival belonged to almost all walks of life, including Ambassadors, bureaucrats, Professors, renowned artists, researchers, scholars, students, etc. Above all a large number of Expatriate Germans attended this event. People took great interest in KAS publications and many copies were distributed on the spot. The book on Social Market Economy was a great hit and the institutions like LUMS requested that many copies of this publication be provided to them for their library and for distribution to MBA/MPA and Economics students. It was a very colorful event consisting of folk dances, skits, music and a very good food at the end. The proceeds of the event went to a local Charity/NGO named Roshni which works for the betterment of poor persons/children with special needs.