BIZ TODAY REPORT
KARACHI: Literature, art and culture are the first line of defense against any kind of extremism, says Mohammad Ahmed Shah, president Arts Council of Pakistan, Karachi.
Addressing a press conference to announce the details of the 10th International Urdu conference to be held from 21st December 2017, till 25 December, 2017, he said that this will be much greater and diversified conference in comparison to the previous ones.
Replying to a question, he informed the press that around one hundred prominent personalities of Urdu literature are coming from twelve different countries of the world to participate in this conference, presenting their research works and thesis on different genre of Urdu literature.
Highlighting the importance of the conference, which will last for five days, he said that this year’s theme will revolve around the seventy years of the Urdu literature in Pakistan, the challenges and opportunities.
He further explained that apart from literature, different aspects of culture and performing arts will be discussed and displayed. The program includes a dance performance of Sheema Kermani, Singing of Ustad Hamid Ali Khan and a `Jugal Bandi’ of Tabla player Ustad Bashir Khan and Sitar player Ustad Nafees Khan. The grand event will comprise the Qawwali presentation by Farid Ayaz and Abu Mohammad and the inaugural day will witness renowned artist Zia Moheyeddin reciting the classic works of Mushtaq Ahmed Yousufi.
The conference will have various sessions covering various topics including the interaction of Urdu with different regional languages of Pakistan and the Urdu enthusiasts and scholars of different countries, like Japan, Egypt and Turkey.
He added that on the inaugural day a show reel will be shown to the audience which will be the story of nine successive years of International Urdu council, organized by the Arts Council of Pakistan, Karachi.
The fifth day of the conference being 25th December is dedicated to Quaid e Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah. The participants of this program will include Chairman Senate Raza Rabbani, Javed Jabbar, Ghazi Salahuddin, Haris Khaleeq and Mir Hasil Bezenjo. The evening will conclude with Anwar Maqsood reciting his brilliant work of satire and humour.
Concluding the talk, Mohammad Ahmed Shah reaffirmed his ambition to improve the standards of International Urdu conference in the years to come, as ten years ago when the first Urdu conference was held for the first time in Pakistan, it seemed an impossible task, but with the dedication and devotion of me and my team, it later became the most significant conference and other organizations and institutes followed suit, and today these kind of literature conferences are held Pakistan wide, giving the people an opportunity to attend these conferences and literature festivals to enhance their knowledge and to interact with the renowned personalities of literature, arts and culture.
