LAHORE: The three-day Pakistan Literature Festival (PLF) kicked off with great fervour and zest at Alhamra Art Centre, The Mall, on Friday.

The festival is being organised by the Pakistan Arts Council, Karachi, in collaboration with the Lahore Arts Council. Caretaker Chief Minister Punjab Mohsin Naqvi and Minister for Information and Culture Amir Mir were supposed to attend the festival and their names were included in the speakers of the inaugural session , however, both of them did not turn up.

The Alhamra Art Centre witnessed a huge crowd on the first day of the festival. The venue was full of energy and gusto. Sitting arrangements were made on the lawns of Alhamra and in Burney Garden where stages were set for concerts. Both were well-equipped and studded with multicoloured lights and the best sound system. Book stalls attracted the readers while a sumptuous food court for the visitors outside Hall No 1 was also there.

The inaugural session was presided over by Sindh Minister Education and Culture Syed Sardar Ali Shah. It started with a prayer for Amjad Islam Amjad who was expected to be a part of the PLF. Among the chairs of delegates on the stage for the speakers, a chair was left vacant in his memory and his photograph was pasted on the chair.

Karachi Arts Council President Ahmed Shah, in his welcome address, said he was starting the festival with a heavy heart because of the sudden demise of Amjad who was supposed to be a part of the inaugural session. He cleared the misconception that the Punjab government had funded the festival, saying that the provincial government of Punjab had not spent even a single penny on the festival; however, the Bank of Punjab (BoP) had some share in supporting it.

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Mr Shah said Lahore had many great personalities who contributed to its cultural scene such as Nayyar Ali Dada, Kamran Lashari and Fakir Aijazzuddin. He regretted that the country had been divided politically and there was a great need to connect its provinces through art and culture, which was the basic purpose of the festival.

Syed Sardar Ali Shah said he wished that the Punjab CM and culture minister had also attended the festival.

Urdu poet Iftikhar Arif talked about Amjad Islam Amjad and his association with the late poet, spanning over 50 years. He said Amjad was one of the most popular literary figures of the country whose contribution to poetry and screenwriting was immense.

Kishwar Nahid in her short speech also remembered Amjad, saying his demise had left Lahore deserted.

Journalist Hamid Mir said there was an unannounced censorship in the country. He suggested that in the next edition of the PLF, people from Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhawa should also be invited in Lahore as the city was the heart of the country.

Playwright Anwar Maqsood remembered the great literary icons such as Allama Iqbal, Faiz Amed Faiz, Nasir Kazmi, Miraji, Ashfaq Ahmed and Ahmed Bashir, saying Amjad had also become one of them.

“I feel these great personalities are present everywhere,” he added.

Fakir Aijazuddin read out a paper in English while Zafar Masood from the BoP also spoke.

In a crowded session at the festival, Sohail Ahmed, popularly known as Azizi, in conversation with Ahmed Shah, lamented that the arts councils and cultural institutions were not playing their due role in promotion of art and culture. He advised the youth not to ignore ethics just to increase their followers on social media. He said he had left commercial theatre as vulgarity through vulgar dances had crept into it.

Another session on the opening day was ‘Ikisivin Sadi Kay Tehzeebi Challenge, Pakistan Aur Fikar-e-Iqbal’. It was presided over by Fateh Muhammad Malik. The panelists were retired JusticeNasira Iqbal, Tehsin Firaqi, Syed Nomanul Haq and Baseera Ameen. Firaqi said Iqbal was not only the poet of the subcontinent but of the world. Nasira Iqbal said Iqbal’s poetry carried the message of love.

A grand musical night was also held at the festival, featuring Sain Zahoor and Ali Azmat.

Published in Dawn, February 11th, 2023