International Urdu Conference concludes
By: Zaib Azkaar Hussain
KARACHI: The concluding session of the four-day International Urdu Conference demanded of the government to implement Urdu as the official language on Friday.
President Arts Council of Pakistan Muhammad Ahmed Shah observed that there was no clash of languages in Pakistan.
However, he said Urdu had produced powerful literature throughout the world and deserved to be implemented as the official language in the country.
The resolution held that as Urdu was a powerful medium of expression, it must be spread through translations.
Shah thanked the foreign delegates and guests who attended the conference, especially those who came from India, and urged the governments of India and Pakistan to facilitate visits of writers in order to promote healthy literary and cultural exchange.
He announced that the Arts Council was now planning to hold several major conferences in a year instead of arranging a yearly major conference.
The audience and the members of the presidium of the concluding session consisting of Dr Qazi Afzal Hussain, Dr Shamim Hanafi, Obaid Siddiqui (from India), Dr Farman Fatehpuri, Zahida Hina, Intizar Hussain Secretary Arts Council Prof Ejaz Farooqui and others fully supported the resolution and it was passed unanimously.
The four-day conference paid homage to legendary Urdu poet Dr Allama Iqbal at a session where Dr Naumanul Haque read a paper titled ‘Allama Iqbal Aur Ikeesvien Sadi Ka Manzarnama’. Dr Ziaul Hasan hosted the session and later famous actor, director, producer, broadcaster, moderator and writer Zia Mohyeddin recited poetry of Dr Allama Iqbal.
A noted musician Ustad Nafees Ahmed Khan played Sitar during the recitition. Zia Mohyeddin was highly appreciated for presenting several Urdu pieces, including ‘Shikwa’ and other poems and ‘Ghazals’ with a dramatic touch and good pronunciation of Persian and Urdu diction used by Iqbal.
Earlier, a session discussed at length the issues related to the media while senior journalists, writers and media persons read their papers on the contemporary methods and mediums of communication and the overall role of the media in Pakistan.
The presidium consisted of Raza Ali Abidi, Hasina Moin, Farhad Zaidi, Ghazi Salahuddin, Ahfazur Rehman and others. Fazil Jameeli conducted the proceedings of the sessions where Obaid Siddiqui, Ameen Yousuf, Hasina Moin and other speakers suggested that the media should play its due role in the promotion of healthy journalistic, literary and cultural values in society.
Later, at a crowded musical concert, singer Rahat Ali Khan sang Ghazals.
Some of the writers and members of the Arts Council criticised the arrangements for the event, saying that there were very few delegates from abroad.
They were Rizwan Siddiqui and Owais Adeeb Ansari. Siddiqui mentioned that a number of acclaimed writers such as Anwar Ahmed Zai, Prof Shamshad Ahmed, Naseem Anjum, Tahir Naqvi, Naushaba Siddiqui, Sabeeha Saba, Amar Jaleel, Ahmed Zainuddin, A. Khayyam and Sultan Jameel Naseem were not taken to the conference as speakers or delegates.
Siddiqui said that he himself was an author of several short stories collection and a novel, but he was not invited to the conference as a speaker.
However, another writer, Shahid Hameed observed that the conference was successful and it discussed a number of serious issues concerning literature, fiction, poetry.
The conference, during its four-day sessions, discussed Meer Taqqi Meer, Mirza Asadullah Khan Ghalib, Dr Allama Iqbal and Faiz Ahmed Faiz in the light of their works.
Source: The News
Date:11/26/2011
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