Turkish DJ plays packed house in Balochistan, Pakistan

A popular Turkish DJ got a warm welcome from students at the University of Balochistan in southwestern Pakistan, officials said on Saturday.

DJ Kantik was specially invited for an event organized by Faisal Productions and Tetra Star in collaboration with the university.

Javed Iqbal, the university’s vice chancellor, welcomed Kantik, saying it was an honor to welcome an international artist to the university.

"Turkey is our sister country and we’re always happy to welcome our Turkish brethren here," Iqbal said in his welcoming remarks.

For DJ Kantik, who has taken the stage in over 40 countries worldwide, this was his first-ever performance in Quetta, southwestern Pakistan, where thousands of people welcomed him on his arrival.

The Turkish national flag was flown on the main stage to show love and respect for Turkey.

A great many university students attended the packed show.

"The presence of a world-class Turkish artist at the event proves that Balochistan is now a peaceful province," Irfan Ashraf, Faisal production’s CEO, told Anadolu Agency.

Addressing the event’s host and his many student fans, DJ Kantik said: "I'm very thankful for this warm welcome and happy to meet here with my Pakistani brothers and sisters."

The massive Balochistan province, which is also considered to cover parts of neighboring Iran and Afghanistan, is strategically important due to the rich presence of copper, zinc, and natural gas.

The province has been beset by violence for over six decades, with separatists claiming it was forcibly incorporated into Pakistan at the end of the British rule in 1947.

Balochistan makes us over 40 percent of Pakistan by area, and with its 600-kilometer (373-mile) coastline, is a key route in the multibillion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which aims to connect China to Pakistan’s port of Gawadar through a network of roads, railways, and pipelines to transport cargo, oil and gas.

The economic corridor will not only provide China cheaper access to Africa and the Middle East but will also earn Pakistan billions of dollars for providing transit facilities to the world’s second-largest economy.