FAISALABAD: The fourth two-day Faisalabad Literary Festival (FLF) kicked off at Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan auditorium on Friday.

The event attracted a number of people from all walks of life who enjoyed the talks of Pakistan Peoples Party leader Aitzaz Ahsan and human rights activist and writer I.A. Rehman. Zehra Nigah chaired the inaugural session.

Mr Ahsan talked about the civilisation of Sindh valley and our cultural heritage. He said out of the curriculum books, the alternative story of Pakistan had been written about the areas where our heroes had shed their blood. He said so many people had raised their voices against the tyrants in the past. He said the prisons were the only honourable way for the persons struggling for their rights.

“I wish there should not be a moment in Pakistan where political workers have any honourable option other than prison,” he said.

“I had tried to trace the history of this land and found that the part of Sindh was neither the gift of any king nor property of any enemy of knowledge. This land belongs to Ameer Khusro, Bulleh Shah, Sultan Bahu, Shah Hussain, Shah Latif, Faiz, Waris Shah, Khushal Khan Khattak, Mian Mohammad, Zehra Nigah, Kishwar Naheed and Habib Jalib.

“This land is also having the stories of freedom fighters like Ahmed Kharal and Bhagat Singh. The people of Sindh loved the persons who liked the poetry and stories of this land.”

I.A. Rehman shed light on Pakistani literature and arts during 70 years and said a large number of writers had maintained the honour of their pen and skill. The writers contributed a lot to enrich the Urdu literature despite so many predicaments.

He said politicians talking about the land of Pakistan claim that before the inception of the country nothing was existing here. However, he said, the situation was different as the land had a history of 5,000 years with proper system of irrigation, judiciary and education.

He said after the partition of the subcontinent, a number of writers had migrated from here. “Pakistan is proud to have litterateur such as Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Ahmed Nadeem Qasmi, Dr Taseer, Saadat Hassan Manto and Chiragh Hassan Hasrat,” he said.

Zia Mohyeddin also addressed the audience.

Bookstalls have been set up for the festival which is concluding here on Saturday.

Published in Dawn, November 25th, 2017