KARACHI: The 11th International Urdu Conference was inaugurated at the Arts Council of Pakistan, Karachi on Thursday with many writers, poets and intellectuals from within and outside Pakistan gracing the occasion.The stage could barely contain the constellation of literary giants seated in a long queue. Chief Minister Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah was the chief guest of the inaugurated ceremony of International Urdu Conference along with Commissioner Karachi. Among the luminaries included Asad Muhammad Khan, Iftikhar Arif, Mustansar Hussain Tarrar, Shamim Hanafi from India, Raza Ali Abdi from UK, Pirzada Qasim, Ejaz Ahmed Farooqi, Talat Hussain, Arif Naqvi, Masood Ashar, Athar Waqar, Ameena Syed and Noor Zaheer.
This year marks the completion of an 11th year of the conference for Urdu which has been hosted by the Arts Council of Pakistan, Karachi annually since 2008. The council’s president Ahmed Shah thanked all the participants and writers who contributed to the conference in the past and made sure that it continued as a literary tradition of the city. He especially thanked CM Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah for his contribution with Arts Council. Ahmed Shah, in his welcome address, said that Karachi is made with the people not only migrated from India but from Pakistan as well. Arts Council kept silence for one minute for the renown poet, writer and human right activist Fahmida Riaz who passed away yesterday at Lahore, Fahmida Riaz was expected to join 11th international Urdu Conference.
On the day one of the International Urdu Conference Nasir Abbas Nayer presented his Research Paper on the current situation of Urdu, he said that the current situation for the writers, poets and the progressive people is the one of the most strict time of the history, Recently we have seen a great blockage by a group of people and no one can dare to speak against them. He talked about the contradiction in the Pakistani society about the social and progressive issues. Renown critic and write from India Shamim Hanfi presented his Paper on the “meaning of Urdu Literature in the 21 Century”. He talked about the progress in Urdu literature in the 20th century. He said that before moving ahead we must dig out the Urdu in the prior century in the sub-continent. In his keynote speech, Hanfi elucidated on the need for literature in the 21st century. He regretted the decline in social and cultural values in the modern world which, he thought, was a result of general skepticism.Meanwhile, a book launching ceremony on the 9th and 10th international conferences held at Arts Council Auditorium by CM Sindh Murad Ali Shah. These books were written on the past two conferences including the papers and content from the conferences.
Chief Minister Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah speaking on the occasion said that on the first hand the sub-continent was separated while literary activities and conferences have played their part to integrate the people. He paid tribute to the renown Poetess, writer,and human right activist Fahmida Riaz for his lifelong struggle and particularly for her resistance against the dictatorship in Pakistan. He appreciated the president Arts Council Muhammad Ahmed Shah and his team for the 11th successful International Urdu Conference while speaking about Karachi he said that we have faced a long time of isolation but now Sindh Government is dominating Karachi and Karachi is progressing and it will prosper more. He assured to the Arts Council for every kind of help from Sindh government. While talking about literature and art he said that Art, literature and every kind of creativity is essential for all kind of social and cultural development for every society and our thinkers and scholars playing their part greatly. He thanked the scholars, writers and renown intellectuals from the different countries of the world for attending the 11th international Urdu Conference. At the end of the session, Secretary Arts Council Ejaz Farooqi thanked the intellectuals around the globe for joining Urdu Conference. Says in press release
