KARACHI, March 7: Speakers at a literary sitting held on Wednesday in the department of Bengali, University of Karachi, said that all languages, including Bengali, Urdu, Sindhi, Punjabi, Balochi, Sanskrit, Pashto and Hindi, were equal in importance.

Presided over by Director of the Shah Abdul Latif Chair Prof (Dr) Fahmida Hussain, the meeting was attended by Chairman of the Department of Arabic Prof (Dr) Shahid Nomani, Chairperson of the Department of Islamic History Prof Dr Nigar Sajjad and a large number of teachers and students.

Prof Nomani paid tribute to great Bengali poet Qazi Nazrul Islam for his contribution to the Pakistan movement, and also praised the department of Bengali for organising the programme.

Prof Sajjad said Bengali was one of the oldest and richest languages in the sub-continent. She said that Rabindranath Tagore got noble prize on Bengali literature.

Prof Shauq said a number of poems of Rabindranath's were translated into Sindhi and added all were written on human rights.

In her presidential address, Prof Fahmida praised the poetry of Qazi Nazrul Islam and Rabindranath Tagore. She said Tagore gave the message of love and brotherhood through his poems to the world.—PPI