KHAIRPUR: Office-bearers of the provincial chapter of the Sindhi Adabi Sangat (SAS) and many poets as well as writers affiliated with the Sangat have decided not to attend any of the official programmes at the annual 194th Urs celebrations of Sachal Sarmast.

According to a press statement issued on Wednesday, SAS general secretary Dr Mushtaque Phul, Paryal Dayo, Mehr-u-Nisa Larik, Zulfiqar Gadhi and its present as well as former secretaries made the decision in consultation with a number of literary personalities, poets and writers of the province.

They said the philosophy of Sachal Saeen was related with humanity, national peace and harmony, but the Sachal Yadgar Committee through the culture department seemed to have hijacked the ideology of Sachal Saeen because the committee affairs were based totally on injustice, nepotism and political culture.

It was injustice that no literary persons’ name had been included in the invitation cards; there were only names of ministers and advisers, they said.

They said that right from the invitation cards to the selection of names for Sachal Awards, everything depicted as if the awards had been stamped as “Government/Official Awards” in order to please those working in government institutions.

A high level of favouritism and nepotism had been observed on the part of the committee, they said.

They said a delegation of SAS would lay a wreath on the grave of Sachal Saeen on July 3.

Meanwhile, the deputy commissioner has announced a public holiday in Khairpur on July 2, 2015, (today) on account of the 194th annual Urs celebrations of renowned poet and saint Sachal Sarmast.

Published in Dawn, July 2nd, 2015

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