Dubai's Jashn-e-Rekhta festival postponed after Kashmir attack

Event was to bring a three-day celebration of Urdu culture to the UAE

Indian poet and scriptwriter Javed Akhtar and his wife, actress Shabana Azmi, were to feature at the festival's opening. AFP

The three-day Jashn-e-Rekhta cultural festival that was to be held in Dubai was cancelled after a deadly terrorist attack was carried out in Kashmir on Thursday.

The popular event, which is normally celebrated in Delhi, celebrates Urdu poetry, music, literature and more. It was set to take place in Zabeel Park on February 28 but has been postponed indefinitely.

In a statement issued on Friday, organisers said: “In light of this tragedy, it has been decided to postpone the event until further notice. We regret the inconvenience caused. Arrangements are being made with the ticketing company to refund money, to all those who have purchased tickets."

A new date has yet to be announced. The line-up was to feature poet and screenwriter Javed Akhtar and his wife, actress Shabana Azmi. Others notable attendees were to include actors Ali Fazal and Mahira Khan, Raza Murad, poet Anwar Masood, folk singer Sanam Marvi, musician Fareed Ayaz, Abu Mohammad, singer-songwriter Tanya Wells, and many others.

It is organised by the Rekhta Foundation, a non-profit organisation in India that works for the preservation and promotion of Urdu language, literature and culture.

The foundation, established in 2013, operates the world's largest online repository for Urdu literature, rekhta.org, which has more than 20 million followers worldwide, including 350,000 in the Gulf.