NEW YORK  –  The Lahore Literary Festival (LLF) re­turned to New York Saturday, with Paki­stan’s Ambassador to the United States, Rizwan Saeed Sheikh, describing the Punjab capital as a “fountainhead of cre­ativity and intellectual discourse” in the country. The Asia Society, New York, held a day-long festival in conjunction with the Lahore Literary Festival, one of South Asia’s premier cultural events, at which a wide variety of subjects were discussed. In his opening remarks, Ambassador Sheikh, who was accompanied by Paki­stan’s Consul General in New York Aam­er Ahmed Atozai, highlighted Lahore’s immense and continuing contribution to Pakistan’s literature, drama, theatre, film and performing arts. He also recalled the historic significance of the Lahore Resolution, adopted in 1940, describing it as a legendary piece of political litera­ture which transformed into reality af­fording the ideological foundation for the eventual creation of Pakistan. LLF founder and CEO Razi Ahmed welcomed the Am­bassador for his presence, as did Rachael Cooper on behalf of Asia Society. The event brought together distinguished writ­ers, intellectuals and artists, celebrat­ing arts and literature and promoting cultural understanding between Paki­stan and the international community. Speakers presented to American audienc­es with a more nuanced view of Pakistan, with discussions on fiction and nonfiction writing, art, science, history, and politics. This year’s LLF speakers included Hazel Kahan, Sadia Shepard, Salima Hashmi, Cassim Shepard, Suketu Mehta, Ayeda Hu­sain, Mehreen Jabbar, Sunita Kohli, Farwa Aamer and Felicia Kainat Norton. In his remarks, Ambassador Sheikh drew on his long personal association with Lahore, saying that nothing quite matched the City in its glory, vibrancy and cultural signifi­cance. Drawing a parallel with the United States, Ambassador Sheikh remarked that Lahore in Pakistan was comparable to New York in America—a city that em­bodied cultural dynamism, intellectual vitality and national identity.