Language, literature termed important tools to understand Pak, Iran culture

Islamabad : Seyed Mohammad Ali Hosseini, Ambassador of Iran, has said that the Persian language is a common cultural heritage that does not belong only to Iran, but belongs to the whole region and must be honoured and expanded to preserve culture and identity values.

Hosseini was speaking at a Roundtable and Exhibition on ‘Darakht-e-Dosti, epitomising Pak-Iran relationship: celebrating linguistic linkages’ organised here by the Institute of Strategic Studies in collaboration with the Embassy of Iran and Iran-Pakistan Institute of Persian Studies.

Mr Hosseini said that for Pakistan, Persian has been one of the most important identifying elements as evident by the national anthem of Pakistan. He went on to say that in addition, language and literature are important tools for better understanding the culture of Iran and Pakistan.

Razia Akbar from NUML said that Iran always stood by Pakistan. The two nations are not different from each other as they share strong cultural and linguistic linkages and their friendship is an example for the entire world. He said that the Farsi language is prestigious and Urdu has nurtured within the roots of the Farsi and is derived from it.

Ehsan Khazaei, the Iranian Cultural Counselor, stated that Pakistan is unique in terms of having a variety of manuscripts, especially Persian which reflect the relations and history between the two nations as well as the culture of the subcontinent.

Former ambassador Riffat Masood said that people in Iran know Allama Iqbal as “Iqbal Lahori” more than people in Pakistan. Farsi is a living language and is spoken across Pakistan in different varieties, he opined.

Khalid Mahmood, Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry, and Amina Khan also spoke on the occasion.