PESHAWAR, March 29: Celebrating the 2,500 years of Peshawar as the oldest living city of South Asia, the Floral Art Society of Peshawar brought together women members of floral art societies from other cities, who exhibited their skills of traditional flower arrangement on Tuesday.

In relation to the theme of the floral show ‘Peshawar through the ages’, the artists arranged flowers and plants by mixing their work with the traditional arts of the city to depict how Peshawar once was.

Tourism Corporation of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had collaborated with the society to organise the floral exhibition to show their skills to women of this province.

The exhibition attracted a large number of visitors.

Nowshaba Khalil, former president of the International Floral Society and now a council member of Floral Art Society, Karachi, demonstrated through her floral art how she remembered vines of Peshawar as a little girl when she visited the city with her parents.

President of FAS, Peshawar, Fareeda Nishtar also demonstrated her skills to a large number of women.Johar Jamal, secretary of the FAS, said that those who lived in Peshawar and remembered it as a city of greenery and flowers could not see it as a barren and polluted city with broken roads.

“We want to raise awareness among people, especially the youth, that they should make this city greener and more beautiful,” she said while stressing the need for more such exhibitions.

She said that they had been holding meetings with municipal authorities to decorate the city by planting trees and flowers instead of erecting concrete structures at crossroads.

Other visitors also praised the art of how beauty of simple flowers and roses could be enhanced through different arrangements.

On this occasion, Abid Haneef announced the launch of Horticulture Society of Pakistan’s Peshawar chapter, which would raise awareness of horticulture.

Shamim Saadullah Khan, former Principal of Aitcheson College and a horticulturist, said that he came to Peshawar after 38 years and there was no smell of sweet peas.

He said that people of Peshawar should raise their voice whenever they felt the need to safeguard the beauty and greenery of the city.