The 16th International Urdu Conference Featuring A Bunch Of Literary Events Kicks Off

The 4-day long "16th Aalmi Urdu Conference" 2023 kick-started at the Arts Council of Pakistan Karachi on Thursday

KARACHI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 30th Nov, 2023) The 4-day long "16th Aalmi urdu Conference" 2023 kick-started at the Arts Council of Pakistan Karachi on Thursday.

The caretaker Chief Minister Sindh Justice (R) Maqbool Baqir inaugurated the conference that would continue till December 04, 2023. The inaugural ceremony was attended by notable figures in literature and arts, including Iftikhar Arif, Zehra Nigah, Kashif Nadeem, Pirzada Qasim Raza Siddiqui, Manzar Athar Baig, and others.

The ceremony began with a minute of silence condemning Israel's aggression in Palestine.

The International Urdu Conference features a host of literary events including sessions on prose and poetry, Aalmi Mushaira, the launching of books, documentaries, theater plays, and literary discussions.

The conference witnessed a large number of delegates from abroad, representing various regional languages and Urdu writers from different parts of the country.

Caretaker Sindh CM Justice (r) Maqbool Baqar, addressing the inaugural ceremony, said that the international Urdu conference being organized by the Arts Council for the last 16 years has now become our `literary brand’ to spread the message of love, respect and tolerance.

The CM said that Literature can bring people of different backgrounds, cultures, and ways of life together. When people relate to a piece of literature, it makes you think that you're not alone and that someone else has been through what you are going through, he maintained.

Quoting Shakespeare, he said, “Literature is the expression of life in words of truth and beauty; it is the written record of man's spirit, of his thoughts, emotions, and aspirations; it is the history, and the only history, of the human soul.”

Justice (r) Baqar appreciated the leading literary figures who contributed to the conferences through their literary work and developed a spirit of tolerance and co-existence among people of different languages, religions, and faiths.

The conference was not only playing an excellent role in the mindset of the youth but it was highlighting a positive perception of Pakistan around the world, he stated.

The CM urged the youth not only to participate in such conferences which were bound to inculcate the spirit of humanity among them but develop a habit of reading books. He also urged the leading literary figures to play their role in making Pakistan a peaceful and tolerant society.

The CM felicitated the Arts Council of Pakistan Karachi and its President Ahmed Shah for the successful organization of literary fairs and appreciated the inclusion of other languages of Pakistan in the Urdu conference.

President Arts Council of Pakistan Karachi Muhammad Ahmad Shah, in his welcome speech, emphasized the enduring fragrance of literature and its power to make society compassionate and stressed the need to maintain cultural identity and credited literature as a tool for that purpose.

Ahmed Shah expressed gratitude for the support received and acknowledged the success of the literary endeavors in promoting the Urdu language and culture.

Well-known intellectual and journalist Ghazi Salahuddin, in his keynote paper, said that we have the weapon of literature through which we can eradicate hatred and promote decency and love. Every young person should have this weapon of literature because if writers can change the world, so can readers.

The program also paid tribute to literary figures, including the legendary Zia Mohyeddin.

In the end, special guest Chief Minister Sindh, Justice (Rtd) Maqbool Baqir, presented awards to selected 5 regional language books, including Urdu.

The awarded books included "Khafeef Mukhfi Ki Khuwab Beeti" by Mirza Athar Baig (Urdu), "Pashtoon Danish" by Noor-ul-Amin Yousafzai (Pashto), "Mendal Da Qanoon" by Jameel Ahmed Pal (Punjabi), "Yaram Yaram" by Zubaida Maitlo (Sindhi), "Marda Jivan Di" by Muhammad Hafeez Khan (Saraiki), and "Man Kishay Nihaan" by Ghafoor Shad (Balochi).

The mentioned books were introduced by Naseer Abbas Nair, Abaseen Yousafzai, Sarwat Mahiuddin, Noor-ul-Huda Shah, Nazir Laghari, and Waheed Noor.

On this occasion, shields were also presented to Saeed Naqvi, Basit Jalili, and Akram Qaimkhani for their work in promoting Urdu literature outside the country.