A 10-day arts event ended on Monday in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore with 30 percent of its ticket sales going to the country's victims of the Oct. 8 earthquake.

The World Performing Arts Festival 2005 have attracted more than 1,000 local and international artists from 40 countries, according to a press release by the event organizer, Lahore-based Rafi Peer Theater Workshop.

When the event opened on Nov. 19, the group pledged to donate at least 10 million rupees (one US dollar is about 60 rupees) to Pakistan's president relief fund with 10,000 tickets sold at 1,000rupees each. But the final figure was not yet known on Monday when the event came to an end.

The annual World Performing Arts Festival, now the third in its present formula, is said to be the largest festival of its kind in South East Asia. Enjoying overwhelming support from diverse audiences, it is also one of the leading events of cultural and artistic exchange between the east and the west.

Diverse performing arts of music, dance, drama, film and puppetry have been on display during the festival.

Source: Xinhua