DHAKA: Some of Bangladesh’s most popular artists are showcasing their pop culture to an international audience as they headline a cultural festival in Saudi Arabia this week.

Organized by the Kingdom’s General Entertainment Authority, the month-long event, “Your Passport to the World,” is held in the city of Alkhobar in the Dammam metropolitan area.

The festival, which began April 9, is focused on showcasing the rich cultural heritage of four countries: Sudan, India, the Philippines and Bangladesh.

The last leg of the event, which began Wednesday, features Bangladeshi artists, with the lineup of musicians saying they are ready to put on a spectacular show in the Kingdom.

“I am well-prepared now for the show. As a part of preparation, I have made some new compositions for some of my popular numbers as the audience will listen to my live performance for the first time,” singer and composer Imran Mahmudul told Arab News.

Mahmudul, who will perform in Dammam on Thursday and at another iteration of the festival in Jeddah on May 8, is performing for the second time in Saudi Arabia, after making his debut in 2023 at the Riyadh Season — an annual series of entertainment, cultural, and sporting events running in the Saudi capital throughout winter months.

“That was a hugely good experience for me. More than half a million people enjoyed that show. Half of the audience couldn’t enter into the show as it was fully packed. It’s the biggest concert I have ever performed,” he said. “It’s a nice initiative to showcase Bangladeshi culture for the international audience.”

The 33-year-old heartthrob was looking forward to playing for some of Bangladesh’s 3 million expats who are living and working in the Kingdom.

“Most of the Bangladeshi crowd are very emotional, especially when they find the Bangladeshi stars at their places … Whenever they get the opportunity to experience this kind of show with Bangladeshi stars, they don’t miss it.”

For her first-ever live performance in Saudi Arabia, singer Dilshad Nahar Kona said she is looking forward to putting on a show for fellow Bangladeshis in the Kingdom.

“I am feeling very proud to be a part of this grand event initiated by the Saudi government,” Kona told Arab News.

“With this initiative, I would be able to reach our people (Bangladeshis) in the Kingdom. It’s a big initiative where Bangladesh will be showcased for 3 to 4 days. Definitely, it’s a nice initiative by authorities in the Kingdom.”

Kona said she has been preparing to put on a great show. “We are fully prepared to offer the audience a marvelous show. With my performance, even if I can entertain them for a few moments, that will bring satisfaction in my mind as our efforts are nothing compared to the hard labor of our migrants’ work.”

The concerts will also feature other popular musicians from Bangladesh, including rock legend James, one of the most popular artists performing in Bengali, who has been widely celebrated since the 1990s and who debuted at Riyadh Season last year.

Ahead of the concerts, the Bangladesh expat community has been brimming with enthusiasm.

“I am a great fan of James and Imran. I am very excited to watch the live performances of these Bangladeshi music stars,” Abdul Hannan, a construction worker who lives in Dammam, told Arab News.

“We will join the Bangladesh events all four days as we get this sort of entertainment opportunities here very rarely. It’s kind of a get-together also for all the Bangladeshi migrants who have been living in this part of the Kingdom.”

Salma Hossain, who has been living in Saudi Arabia for the last three years, is planning to make the most of the festival.

“I have been counting the days for this Bangladesh event,” Hossain told Arab News.

“As a Bangladeshi citizen, I feel proud of this event. With the shows, now the people in my neighborhood will come to know that we also have a rich culture and heritage. We also have world-class music stars.”

ISLAMABAD: Saudi Arabia has expressed concern over heightened tensions between nuclear-armed neighbors Pakistan and India amid exchanges of fire along their disputed border separating Kashmir and fears of an Indian military incursion, state news agency SPA reported on Wednesday.

Relations have plummeted following a deadly attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir on Apr. 22 that New Delhi has said Pakistan was involved in. Islamabad denies the charges. Fears have risen since that India may conduct limited airstrikes or special forces raids near its border with Pakistan.

Pakistan’s information minister said on Tuesday night the country had “credible intelligence” India intended to carry out military action against it in the “next 24-36 hours on the pretext of baseless and concocted allegations of involvement in the Pahalgam incident.”

“The Kingdom appealed to both nations to de-escalate, avoid further escalation, resolve their disagreements through diplomatic channels, uphold the principles of good neighborliness, and strive for stability and peace for the welfare of their people and region,” SPA said.

Meanwhile United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres spoke separately on Tuesday with Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shebaz Sharif and India’s Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.

“The Secretary-General also expressed his deep concern at rising tensions between India and Pakistan and underscored the need to avoid a confrontation that could result in tragic consequences. He offered his Good Offices to support de-escalation efforts,” UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said. 

The US State Department has also said Washington was in touch with both India and Pakistan while urging them to work toward what it called a “responsible solution.” 

In public, the US government has expressed support for India after the attack but has not criticized Pakistan.

Since the attack, in addition to soldiers shooting over the Line of Control frontier that divides disputed Kashmir between the two nations, India and Pakistan have announced tit-for-tat diplomatic measures that included cancelation of visas and a recall of diplomats. 

New Delhi also suspended a crucial water-sharing treaty with Islamabad and ordered its border shut with Pakistan. In response, Pakistan has closed its airspace to Indian airlines.

Kashmir is disputed between India and Pakistan since 1947, with both ruling it in part but claiming it in full.