KARACHI, Nov 13: Speakers at a function on Thursday vowed to continue efforts for implementation of Urdu as the official language in country and promotion of Urdu as the sole medium of education.

The programme, presided over by former governor of Sindh and interior minister Lt Gen (Retd) Moinuddin Haider, was organized by Baba-i-Urdu Foundation to mark its ninth foundation day and the first anniversary of the establishment of Federal University of Arts, Sciences and Technology.

Majority of the speakers maintained that despite constitutional provisions Urdu was not being given its due status, and only as a section of people, including those in the government, did not want to see urdu flourishing as symbol of national unity.

Gen Haider said that efforts for the promotion of urdu language should continue as there were people who loved urdu and feel proud to serve it not only in the country but in other parts of the world as well.

He hoped that federal urdu university would provide solution to problems of people and the country.

Dr Pirzada Qasim Raza Siddiqui, the vice-chancellor of the varsity, said that the Urdu university was the realizsation of the long-cherished dream of Baba-e-Urdu Moulvi Abdul HAq, adding still there was need to work for implementing urdu as official language.

He said that urdu had a substantial role to play in the national coherence and ensuring understanding between the provinces of the country. Recently a campus of the Urdu university had been established at Islamabad, while efforts were on for setting up campuses and constituent parts of the university in Punjab, Balochistan and Frontier province, he said.

The chairman of the Baba-e-Urdu Foundation, S H Hashmi, said that purpose of establishing the foundation was to work, not only for the creation of urdu university, but to continue the mission of Baba-e-urdu. He referred to a survey conducted under his supervision and said that only four per cent of the population in the country could read English.

He said that national media should work for the stability of the urdu university as it had now become the inspirational force needed for promotion of urdu in the country.

Prof Affan Saljuq said that the literary contributions made by urdu writers and poets had been valued and given a new dimension with the inception of urdu university. Prof Ismail Saad said that creation of Urdu varsity had provided a new environment and perspective to educational process in the country.

Prof Hassan Viqar Gul and Farooq Jobish of the Foundation, also spoke on the occasion. Services of Jamiluddin Aali, Prof Atta Ur Rehman, Moinuddin Haider and others, and gesture of President Pervez Musharraf in regard to establishment of the federal urdu university were also recalled and appreciated by all speakers.