MULTAN: Under the auspices of the Arts Council of Pakistan Karachi, the vibrant inauguration of the two-day “Fifth Multan Literary Festival” took place in Multan. Festival observed the participation of prominent figures not only from literary and academic circles but also a large number of people from all across Pakistan. President Arts Council of Pakistan Karachi, Muhammad Ahmed Shah, along with Mirza Ather Baig, Dr. Akhtar Ali Syed, Rafat Abbas, Mehboob Tabish, Noor ul Huda Shah, Salman Shahid, Hina Shafaqat, and Ameera Jawaira, among others, graced the event with their presence.
President Arts Council of Pakistan Karachi Muhammad Ahmed Shah while talking to the media, stated that Multan is the center of a civilization thousands of years old. Arts Council of Pakistan Karachi has come to Multan to organize a literary and academic gathering. We are thankful to the media for their support.
This is a two-day event focused on discussions about art and literature. Such intellectual sessions broaden the minds of the youth. This is the age of digital media, and currently, there is unrest prevailing throughout Pakistan. These gatherings bring a breath of fresh air. We deeply respect our intellectuals. It’s worth mentioning that Baba Farid recited poetry in Multan eight hundred years ago. Our Sufi poets taught us the lesson of harmony. Multan is indeed a progressive city. Speaking on “75 Years of Pakistani Art,”session Muhammad Ahmed Shah mentioned that our collaboration with the media, organizing university events, and youth festivals.
Competitions were held in twelve categories. Unfortunately all societies were eradicated by Zia-ul-Haq, but now theaters, music, and dance societies have been revived. We have invited our literary and academic friends from all over Pakistan. We are striving to emerge from this mindset imposed by Zia-ul-Haq’s era. They want to keep us where we were, but we cannot stop the expression of our music and films by our youth. We organized a festival in Sukkur, attended by two hundred thousand people.
Such fantastic festivals need to reach the youth. My task is complete. I used to sit with our elders and listen to them. We want these discussions to reach the whole world. Lahore was not only Pakistan’s but also India’s center of learning, literature, and culture. Both parts of Pakistan had magnificent poets. We should discuss theater because it is the mother of all arts. It’s a nursery where directors and actors are nurtured. Film is the art of mutual collaboration; one person cannot make a film alone.
The festival commenced with “Modern trends in Saraiki poetry “Mirza Ather Baig, in his keynote speech, expressed, “The word ‘speech’ has frightened me since childhood. I have very little experience in this regard, and Muhammad Ahmed Shah has played a significant role in enhancing it. Today, we live in an era dominated by Painting and technology. Currently, the world of literature is being dominated by Chat GPT.”
Renowned writer Noor ul Huda Shah remarked, “Although we can criticize whether a drama is good or bad, the truth is that we are being suffocated under the changing times. Singers mesmerized the audience on the open mic stage, while stalls offering books and food remained the center of attention. On the first day of the festival, discussions were held on modern trends in Saraiki poetry, the ancient tradition of Saraiki storytelling, the recent popularity of novels, causes, effects, and the future, 75 years of Pakistani art, dramas, talk shows promoting moral decay or dialogue, feminist movements, and discussions on our society’s issues. The event concluded with a poetry recitation session, which was enthusiastically received by the audience. It should be noted that media Lyceum collaboration is also included in the Multan Literary Festival.
