ISLAMABAD: Despite tension and closure of roads during arrival of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan in the city to appear in a court, a large number of citizens attended the Islamabad Literary Festival.

On the second day of the festival organised by the Capital Development Authority (CDA), a programme was held on 75 years of Pakistani languages.

The programme included a panel discussion in which Dr Abid Syal, Hafeez Khan, Dr Asghar Asdaf, Dr Wahid Bakhsh Buzdar, Abasin Yousafzai, Dr Mohammad Yousuf Khushk and journalist Salim Safi participated. The programme was moderated by Dr Abid Syal.

The host asked how can global and local cultures be balanced? In response, Hafeez Khan said it was a good sign that awareness about their language, arts, culture and civilisation was increasing among Pakistanis.

“We have to take the country on a new path of development by moving forward in the form of a national culture accompanied with our regional cultures and adopting the modern ways of the world,” he said.

Dr Sughra Sadaf said with the loss of a language, a culture ends.

“We should make mother languages part of education to put our country on path of development,” she added.

Highlighting the importance of Brahvi language, Dr Wahid Bakhsh Buzdar said it was a language of 900 BC which shows how long the people have been living there.

Abasin Yousafzai said that only those nations had progressed whose education was in their own languages. He said the secret of development lies in staying connected with one’s culture and language.

“We should stay connected with our language and take the country on the path of development by understanding the languages of the world,” he said.

Dr Mohammad Yousuf Khushk said 76 languages were spoken in Pakistan.

“Another measure of national identity is the number of languages spoken there. By using information technology, we can not only save regional languages but also play an important role in the development of the country,” he said.

Journalist Salim Safi said after the departure of former CDA chairman Kamran Lashari, literature, art and culture were considered abandoned in the city.

“But after the arrival of Noorul Amin Mengal as the CDA chief, we can see all possible steps being taken to promote literature and culture, which is commendable. Being modern in Pakistan means showing oneself as European, which is a wrong concept of modernity. Because of this we are moving away from culture and literature. We should contribute to the development of the country by adopting modern methods of the world along with the basic units of our culture,” he said.

The second day of the literary festival also featured a programme, Gandhara - Melting Pot of Civilisations. The programme was attended by Dr Abdul Samad, Prof Dr Ghaniur Rehman, Korean Ambassador Suh Sabgypo and Asma Rashid Khan.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Abdul Samad said Gandhara had been the pot of different civilisations for centuries. This could be well estimated from the fact that there were ancient and historical religious places of about six religions in Gandhara.

The Korean ambassador said that the people of Pakistan and Korea needed to understand each other’s culture. He said Gandhara culture had special importance for Pakistan and Korea.

Prof Dr Ghaniur Rehman said there was continuity of civilisation in the land of Pakistan.

According to a statement, an All-Pakistan Mushaira was also held in which poets Iftikhar Arif, Anwar Shaoor, Khursheed Rizvi, Fawad Hasan Fawad, Ahsan Akbar, Jalil Aali, Nusrat Masood, Waheed Ahmed, Hasan Abbas Raza, Sughra Sadaf, Naseer Ahmad Asir, Akhtar Raza Salimi, Akhtar Usman, Qamar Raza Shahzad, Shaheen Abbas, Farhat Zahid, Hamida Shaheen, Dr Tauseef Tabasum and Mehboob Zafar presented their poems.

The literary festival will conclude on Sunday (today).

Published in Dawn, March 19th, 2023