KARACHI, Dec 8: Mr Salim Yazdani, former broadcaster and a columnist at an Urdu daily, presented his collection of published columns titled 'Before 9/11 and after' at the Pakistan Arts Council on Tuesday.

Gen (retd) Abdul Qadir Baloch, former Governor of Balochistan, presided over the launching ceremony. It was addressed by Mobin Mirza, Yawar Mehdi, Prof Saher Ansari, Mr Moin Fudda and Mufti Munibur Rahman, chairman, Ruet-i-Hilal Committee.

Complements were paid to the writer for his qualities, a prolific author of many volumes on the life of the Holy Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) and Baba Farid. The function was organized jointly by the Majlis-i-Shah Farid, Academy Bazyaft and the Arts Council.

Gen A Q Baloch admired the writer, whose columns, he had been reading since long. "The writer is judicious in his judgements, showing the right path", he observed and felt that a newspaper column once included in the book form got permanent value.

He advised the writers to include words and idioms, wherever necessary, in their writings, from other Pakistani languages, "thus making a common language". Mufti Munibur Rahman was all praise for Yazdani's books on Seerat and religion. He read out pieces from his books to prove his point regarding their historical and academic value.

Moin Fudda acknowledged the columnist's insight into the national and international affairs. His judgements on foreign affairs were found mostly correct, he said.

Prof Saher Ansari admired the writer for observing objectivity in his columns. His topics were, most often, of serious nature but, his prose was highly persuasive and appealing, Ansari said. Yawer Mehdi, a former colleague of Mr Yazdani at Radio Pakistan, came to know the latter from his broadcasts and books on the Seerat.

Mobin Mirza said that the writer of this book did not belong to any political party and was not tied to any particular ideology, but liberal and impartial in his approach on political issues. While going through the pages of this book, one could look into the past and visualise the future, Mirza said. Naqqash Kazmi did the compering.