The Arts Council of Pakistan will host the 15th annual International Urdu Conference from December 1 to December 4. After the two-day Adab Festival, which ended at Frere Hall on November 27, the city will host another significant literary event in less than a week.
The Art Council of Pakistan, Karachi, has recently announced that Poet Ali Zaryoun will be present at the upcoming 15th Aalmi Urdu Conference. He is excited to experience new ways and forms of poetry at the event and cannot wait to see everyone there. It has also informed that the auteur Zia Mohyeddin will be reading some of the most renowned pieces of Urdu literature in the “Urdu Ka Shahkaar Adab” session on Thursday, December 1 2022, 06:30 PM – (Day 1).
The event has garnered international recognition to the point that it is highly awaited worldwide every year, according to Ahmed Shah, president of the council, who spoke at a news conference on Tuesday afternoon.
Scholars, authors, and poets from the US, Europe, and the EU will share the platform this year. Saeed Naqvi, a well-known Indian journalist, will also attend the session. He said that Mustansar Husain Tarar and Ataul Haq Qasmi, two literary legends who were also meant to be present, were indisposed. He then remembered the time when the event had been attended by many literary geniuses despite unfavourable political conditions.
The author Noorul Huda Shah praised Shah for his ability to brighten up the city and inspire readers. “All the languages of our country are national languages. The council has played a special role in bringing them together.”
The poet Iftikhar Arif remarked, “Dialogue must continue. However, the question is where. I’ve observed literary institutions worldwide, and I can confidently tell that the Karachi Arts Council has functioned with an exceptional level of consistency. It is challenging to bring prominent figures from different languages under one roof. The vested interests had set some of the languages against one another. In my opinion, all the languages spoken in Pakistan are our languages.”
“Mr Shah has successfully brought people with opposing beliefs together, and all of them concur that the discussion should not end. It isn’t important that all have to agree with one another. However, some issues cannot be compromised, such as one nation, one state, and its ideology. We are going through a difficult time; therefore, working with the Arts Council is essential. Despite the fact that I have been attending this cultural place since 1965, everyone can notice its outstanding performance in recent years and the diversity it has been able to exhibit”, he further said.
Anwar Maqsood, a writer, praised Mr Shah’s efforts and referred to him as a jinn. “He waits for the Urdu Conference to begin in the same manner that people wait each year for a child to be born in their family. Additionally, he expanded the structure to include studios and a library. He loves culture.”
