HYDERABAD, July 10: Sindhi writers from India have requested the governments of Pakistan and India to adopt a liberal visa policy for writers to encourage interaction between people through writings.

Short story writers Lachhman Komal and Goband Khushhalani, who is also a teacher of folk and classical music, said at a reception given in their honour by the Institute of Sindhology, University of Sindh. They said that writers had always played a key role in helping to normalise relations and create understanding between governments.

Lachhman Komal thanked people of Sindh for their love and respect and said that his autobiography had made him popular with Sindhis. Indian Sindhi writers had preserved their identity as Sindhis and their fourth generation had survived it, he said.

He laid stress on working at grass-roots level to maintain literary and cultural relations that should be transferred to new generation. “We have worked on Sindhi literature, short story and poetry but there is no poetry like Bhitai’s as there is no other Thar or Bhit,” he remarked.

Goband Khushhalani underlined the importance of interaction between people through writings and exchange of delegations. The senior generation was seriously thinking about developing literary interaction between new generations of Pakistan and India, he said.

He requested the governments of the two countries to adopt a liberal visa policy for writers and said writers had always played a key role in creating understanding between the governments for the development of good relations.

Exchange of literary programmes would greatly help in normalising relations between the governments and people of both the countries, he suggested.

University of Sindh Vice-Chancellor Dr Mazharul Haq Siddiqui advocated unity among people of this region on the pattern of European Union and criticised the United Nations for creating problems for the poor nations in the name of WTO and globalisation, which he said had caused the poor to become poorer and the rich richer.

He said the United Nations had turned a blind eye to injustices being meted out to people of this region and the people of Palestine. The organisation had condoned bloodshed in Iraq and nuclear bomb in Israel, he said.

“We need to unite like European Union and not like the United Nations,” he said as he welcomed Indian guests to Sindh.

Noted intellectual Mohammad Ibrahim Joyo said that language was always vital in identification of nations. This world is known through culture and it is the human race which works for the promotion of culture, he observed.

Hamid Sindhi said that relationship between writers of Sindh and India was one of mutual love and respect and for the sake of promotion of language and literature.

A large number of scholars, writers and intellectuals from different parts of the province, including Abrar Qazi, Inam Shaikh, Shoukat Hussain Shoro, Taj Joyo, Dr Sahar Imdad, Prof Aijaz Qureshi and Prof Saleem Memon attended the reception.