Islamabad - The Annual Margalla Festival - 2015 will commence here at Art and Craft Village today (Thursday).
The festival will continue till April 19, 2015. The Directorate of Sports and Culture, Capital Development Authority (CDA) is organizing the Margalla Festival.
The festival is being organized in the line with the directions of Chairman CDA, Maroof Afzal and Member Administration Amer Ali Ahmed. The purpose of the festival is to provide the best recreational and amusement opportunities to the residents of the federal capital and the surrounding areas.
The four-day festival will continue from 4:00pm till late night. Cultural artists and folk signers from all four provinces including Gilgit-Baltistan, Kashmir and Chitral will amuse the audience with the best professional artistic skills and vocals, while different stalls have also been established.
The artists and folk signers including Fazal Jutt and Mulazim Hussain from Punjab, Krishan Lal Group from Chulistan will also perform in the festival. Leva Dance Group from Baluchistan and different cultural artists and folk singers will also participate in the Magrallah Festival. Cultural department of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with its performers including khattak dancers, artisans and folk signers will also amuse the audience with their skills. Special group from Gilgit-Baltistan will show their cultural colours. The young folk singer, Bilal Saeed and Potohari folk group will also participate in the four-day festival.  
The third Annual Margalla Festival - 2015 will be inaugurated by the Chairman CDA, Maroof Afzal. Entry of the public in the festival is free.
Member Administration, Amer Ali Ahmed has directed the director general sports and culture CDA to supervise the arrangements of the Margalla festival in person to make the cultural event successful. It is expected that a large number of people from all walks of life will visit the festival.    
Meanwhile, the Spring Tree Plantation Campaign - 2015 of Capital Development Authority (CDA) is in full swing. Different educational institutes, government and non government organizations, NGOs, civil society and traders associations are organizing event in connection with spring tree plantation - 2015 with the cooperation of CDA. On the directions of Chairman CDA, Maroof Afzal, environment wing of the authority carried out tree plantation at the Headquarters of girl guides association located in Sector H-9/4.
On this occasion, Minister of State for CA&DD Barrister Usman Ibrahim, National Commissioner of Pakistan Girls Guides Association, Senator Nuzhat Sadiq and Member Environment CDA, Syed Mustafain Kazmi along with a large number of girl guides planted saplings in the headquarter. The Minister of State for CA&DD Barrister Usman Ibrahim on this occasion said that tree plantation is our national obligation.
He lauded the efforts of CDA and said that the campaign being run by the CDA for creating awareness, importance and association with trees is commendable.
On this occasion minister of state was apprised that during the current spring tree plantation drive of the authority, different specious of flowering and fruit plants are being planted.
He was informed that CDA was assigned a target to plant 300,000 plants but CDA in collaboration with other organizations will plant 500,000 saplings which would not only increase the green cover but it would further beautify the city, however, post tree plantation monitoring is crucial for increasing the survival rate of the planted saplings so that these plants could grow properly. On this occasion the Senator Nuzat Sadiq also spoke to the girl guides.