By Mariyam Hina
QUETTA/KARACHI: Arts Council of Pakistan, Karachi, has vibrantly inaugurated the Pakistan Literature Festival (Quetta Chapter) in Balochistan. The distinguished guest speaker for the occasion was Speaker of the Balochistan Assembly Captain (Retd) Abdul Khaliq Khan Achakzai, while the President Arts Council of Pakistan, Karachi, Mohammad Ahmed Shah, delivered the welcome address. Among the attendees were Sindh Minister of Culture, Zulfiqar Ali Shah, Vice-Chancellor of BUITEMS , Khalid Hafeez, former Principal Secretary to pm and poet Fawad Hassan Fawad, Writer Noorul Huda Shah, Ghazi Salahuddin, Hafeez Jamali, Muneer Badini, Professor Nurul, Saleem Safi, Mazhar Abbas, Sadiqa Salahuddin, and Sohail Ahmed, also expressed their views. Pakistan Literature Festival (Quetta) commenced with the Pakistani national anthem.
The festival saw significant participation from the residents of Quetta, including students. President Arts Council of Pakistan, Karachi, extended gratitude during the welcome address to Sindh Minister of Culture, Syed Zulfiqar Ali Shah, and Vice-Chancellor Khalid Hafeez for their support in organizing the Pakistan Literature Festival in Quetta. He said that Professor Qarar Hussain, laid the foundation of education in Balochistan and spent his childhood there. He also highlighted that enemy tried to divide Pakistan on ethnic, linguistic, and political grounds. He further emphasized that without the fusion of Balochi, Pashto, Saraiki, Sindhi, Punjabi, Kashmiri, Gilgit-Baltistani, Shina, and Urdu Literature, Pakistani literature remains incomplete. He emphasized that classical and modern literature is incomplete without Gul Khan Naseer, Khushal Khan Khattak, Rahman Baba, Ghalib, Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai, and Sachal Sarmast.
He Further said that if anyone can lead this province and Pakistan forward, it’s the youth. You all are the future of this country. If you move forward, Balochistan, KPK , Punjab, and Sindh, will all move forward. You will lead this country in further atom bomb and guns are not your weapon , pen is your weapon he added that the Balochistan’s civilization is thousand years old. Queeta was razed in 1935 earthquake, the Courageous people Balochistan revived this city. He said to the youth that you are their descendants and its time that you have to some courage . At the end, all the students present in the hall repeated after Mr . Ahmed shah “ yes , we can “
Special guest speaker of the Balochistan Assembly Captain (Retd) Abdul Khaliq Khan Achakzai, while addressing the audience, said that I welcome all the guests It’s an honor for me to be part of this festival. This literary festival is not just a gathering of writers, poets, and intellectuals but a celebration of the human spirit that reflects social knowledge.” He said that in literary festivals, there is a clash of ideas and creative abilities soar.
Today, I salute the creative abilities and courage of these writers. We need to recognize the power of literature to promote understanding and enlightenment. He said that the Pakistan Literature Festival will be a catalyst for unity and enlightenment for all of us. We need leaders who will unite us all, Baloch, Pashtun, Saraiki, and minorities, instead of dividing us on ethnic lines. Balochistan is a shared province where Pashtuns, Baloch, Hazaras, Urdu speakers, and ethnicities coexist. Today, the future of Balochistan and Pakistan seems promising.
You can lead Pakistan by competing with your abilities, be it political leadership, tribal leadership, or literary leadership. They are our guides; our future generations will follow them. You don’t have to wield a gun on anyone’s shoulder, but you have to play your part in steering this society out of its current predicament. Sindh Minister of Culture, Syed Zulfiqar Ali Shah expressing his views, said, Moen jo daro history is five thousand years old. Baloch or Pashtun,here have an ancient connection. The love of Balochistan is for the entire Pakistan. I am confident that the youth of Balochistan will bring about change in Pakistan and unite the whole country. I am also the Minister of Tourism; I invite you all to Sindh. We will bear all the expenses, and our students should know about the ancient heritage of Sindh.
The time is yours now: The future of Pakistan is in the hands of the youth; it’s up to you to decide what’s right and what’s wrong. Renowned journalist Saleem Safi stated that Balochistan University is not just Balochistan’s but Pakistan’s best university. You are fortunate to have a Vice-Chancellor who is so visionary and future-oriented that he completed his Ph.D. in AI in 1992, and throughout Pakistan, I couldn’t find another person with a Master’s degree in AI. I found the most sincere leadership in Balochistan’s nationalis leadership. You are their successors, and I believe you will maintain their tradition.” He praised that President Arts Council, Muhammad Ahmed Shah, has adorned Quetta with a jewel whose fundamental purpose is to involve the youth of this province, struck by their miseries, in their happiness and to make your voice heard throughout Pakistan.”
Senior journalist and analyst Mazhar Abbas said that coming to Quetta has refreshed old memories for me. My favorite and respected politician was from Quetta. I had my last interview with Mir Ghaus Bakhsh Bizenjo. Bizenjo’s services are commendable for Balochistan. It’s unfortunate that the government of Balochistan was dissolved at a time when Balochistan was about to be formed. Mir Hasil Bizenjo and I ventured into politics together, while Professor Qarar Hussain and my father excelled in the field of education. When students used to fight among themselves, they would stand in front, saying if there’s a fight, We can’t find such peopke after them . But today, seeing thousands of students in this hall, I am confident that Balochistan will change Pakistan. The educational institutions in Balochistan should be expanded.
There is great strength in Balochistan’s culture, music, and journalism. The students here have political awareness. Most Balochistan journalists were killed because they wanted to tell the truth. Sohail Ahmed (Azizi) said that I have come to Quetta for the first time in my life. Seeing you makes me feel that love can never be diminished. Love is a park where you can meet Allah. If you want to meet God, start loving ; you will find Allah.” He said that “Ahmed Shah is a blend of Pakistani culture, who knows Balochi Lewa along with Punjabi Dhamal, Khattak Dance of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Sindhi Dance. Wherever they go, they spread love by dancing Dhamal, and they blend people’s love. Let’s make this festival so successful that it doesn’t come every year but every three months. I am confident that the Pakistan Literature Festival in Quetta will be the most successful festival in Pakistan. Poetess Noorul Huda Shah said, “If there is any youth in Pakistan who stands up with full consciousness, it is the youth of Balochistan.
It’s about seeing and talking when you hear dissatisfaction, sorrow, and deprivation from nearby. Your thinking, your consciousness, and other issues can be resolved through dialogue. She said, “There is sensitivity in your beauty. No nation is luckier than a nation whose young sons, daughters, and women travel from here to the Capital. Sadiqa Salahuddin said that I’m not saying we should leave the past behind, but while using information technology, we should also keep old traditions alive.” She further said that we can bring change in the country through art and culture.
Earlier, Quetta used to celebrate Jashan Quetta, and its excitement used to echo in every home. Various stalls were set up at the Pakistan Literature Festival, including books, food, handicrafts, Sindhi Ajrak, and other representing the cultural of other provinces.”
