‘Literature’s function is to make thinking and dreaming possible’

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Thursday inaugurated the four-day 17th International Urdu Conference 2024 organised by the Arts Council of Pakistan (ACP). The inauguration ceremony was held at the YMCA Ground near the ACP. This year’s Urdu Conference has multiple sessions on Karachi as its tagline is ‘Jashn-e-Karachi’.

ACP President Muhammad Ahmed Shah, Sindh Culture Minister Syed Zulfiqar Ali Shah, Chief Secretary Syed Asif Hyder Shah, Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab and ACP Secretary Ejaz Farooqi were present at the ceremony that was attended by many prominent literary personalities, artistes, academics and journalists including Anwar Maqsood , Iftikhar Arif, Munawar Saeed, Noorul Huda Shah, Mazhar Abbas, Suhail Warraich, Dow University Vice Chancellor (VC) Dr Saeed Qureshi, NED VC Dr Sarosh Lodi, University of Karachi VC Khalid Iraqi, Sindh Higher Education Commission Chairman Dr Tariq Rafi, Sarwat Mohiuddin, Abaseen Yousafzai, Dr Ishrat Husain, Azhar Abbas and Ramzan Baloch.

The conference began with the national anthem. A showreel was presented marking the 70th anniversary of the ACP showing various mega events held at the council including the World Culture Festival, Youth Festival, Pakistan Culture Festival and past Urdu conferences.

The welcome speech was delivered by the ACP president and veteran journalist Ghazi Salahuddin gave the keynote address. A cake was cut to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Arts Council.

The CM expressed his pleasure at the presence of scholars, writers and cultural figures at the 17th International Urdu Conference. He said that since becoming the CM, he had been continuously attending the International Urdu Conferences.

He stated that the Urdu Conference was a reflection of our glorious cultural heritage and Pakistan's enduring cultural legacy. Mega festivals organised by the ACP had been connecting artists, writers, and intellectuals from around the world, the CM said as he praised Ahmed Shah and his team for their efforts.

He said the ACP was established in 1954 and since then it had been a centre of creative talents. Murad termed the 17th Urdu Conference an indication of the ACP’s success. He recalled his participation in the award ceremony of the World Culture Festival a month ago, in which artistes from 44 countries performed for 38 days in Karachi.

He highlighted that through these literary activities, Karachi was emerging as a global cultural centre playing a vital role in connecting nations and promoting mutual understanding. He also mentioned that the ACP had always recognised the literary services of Urdu, Sindhi, Seraiki, Punjabi, Pashto and Balochi writers, honouring them with lifetime achievement awards.

The CM said the scholars who had dedicated their lives for the promotion of language and literature were a source of pride for everyone. He was of the view that the International Urdu Conference played a unique role in connecting our youth with their cultural roots and fostering a shared national identity.

Regarding the tagline ‘Jashn-e-Karachi’, the CM said Karachi was the city where he grew up and it had produced countless stars in various fields. He promised that the Sindh government would continue collaborating with the ACP for such events.

Anwar Maqsood said when he first came to Karachi, its population was over 70 million, and today it had reached 240 million. He added that he later witnessed the rise and fall of the city’s leading political party.

In his humourous talk, he said only men of Karachi were counted in the census, and women were left out. He added that the only option for Karachi was to move forward because it could not go back as the Arabian Sea was there. He also called Ahmed Shah the Maula Jatt of the ACP.

The ACP president thanked all the guests and stated that people from all over the world, including Canada, New York, Houston, London, Paris, Japan and Qatar, had arrived in Karachi to attend the conference.

He added that the ACP took steps to establish peace through dialogue, and organised a literature festival in Quetta that brought both the opposition and government together.

He also expressed gratitude to the law enforcement agencies for their security arrangements. In his keynote speech, Ghazi Salahuddin said Karachi was the city that taught love and shunned hatred. He remarked that the function of literature was to make thinking and dreaming possible.

He said the ACP had awakened Karachi’s collective consciousness. "It’s true that much is beyond our control, but it’s essential for the citizens to respect moral and legal obligations," he said.

Six writers were honoured with lifetime achievement awards on the occasion. The recipients included Dr Pirzada Qasim Raza Siddiqui, Dr Abasin Yousafzai, Ramadan Baloch, Abdul Hamid Akhund and others. Later, a session titled ‘Main Hoon Karachi’ was held in which Tabish Hashmi and Waseem Badami informed the audience about Karachi and its important places in a humorous manner. The event concluded with Umair Najmi reciting poems.