LAHORE: A book ‘The Waters of Lahore’ by Kamal Azfar, a prominent politician, was launched at Faletti’s Hotel in the presence of glitterati on Wednesday.

The launch, hosted by SAMA Editorial & Publishing Services, had a lot to offer in terms of memories of days gone by.

Speakers showered praise on the author for coming up with a remarkable prose replete with anecdotes and quotations. They said ‘The Waters of Lahore’ was at the same time autobiographical, philosophical and historical and that was the hallmark of the book.

Human Rights Commission of Pakistan Secretary-General I.A. Rehman, former foreign minister Mian Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri, former ambassador Syeda Abida Husain, Prof Shaista Sirajjudin and former federal secretary Mueen Afzal were prominent among the speakers.

Mr I.A. Rehman, while throwing light on why the writer chose Lahore to launch his book, said Lahore had immense importance in writer’s life. The writer just couldn’t take Lahore out of his system, he said.

He reminisced about the good old days of Lahore especially with reference to the standard of journalism and the principles followed by luminaries like Faiz Ahmed Faiz and Shakir Ali.

Mr Rehman said Lahore was the laboratory of progressive ideas. It was the Lahore of Shakir Ali and the Progressive Writers Association. He recalled that The Pakistan Times set a high standard in journalism and it was a complete paper.

Highlighting the calibre of Faiz as chief editor of the paper, he said once a news about him was published in The Pakistan Times which read “Well known poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz…”, he (Faiz) got angry over it that why such a news was published about him and if he was well known, why there was a need to mention it. “Such were the journalistic ethics in those times,” Mr Rehman said.

He also talked about Mian Iftikharuddin, the owner of The Pakistan Times, and his contribution towards journalism in Pakistan.

Prof Shaista Sirajuddin said: “I would like to commend the author for the range he has covered. The book is autobiographical, philosophical and historical.”

Stating that it’s always pleasure reading good prose, she said the anecdotes and quotations in the book were worth reading. The writer, among other things, had talked in his book about the Government College, Lahore, and dedicated the third part to her father, the late Prof Sirajuddin.

Mueen Afzal said today’s gathering was marked with nostalgia. He said the story of Kamal Azfar in ‘The Waters of Lahore’ was fascinating.

Syeda Abida Husain remarked: “The waters of the Ravi don’t flow as much in the river as they flow in the book of Kamal Azfar.” She said the memoir was worth reading. She shared with the audience some aspects of the life of Syeda Abid Husain, the youngest Muslim League member of the Constituent Assembly elected in the 1946 elections.

Khurshid Kasuri said: “I am not one of those who feel that the issues between India and Pakistan can’t be resolved. After all, we had the Indus Basin Treaty and water is a very important issue. We must revisit some of these provisions in the light of changes in technology and climate but in the spirit of cooperation.

“A blueprint of the Kashmir issue also exists. The Asian Common Market Association (ACMA) is a great vision as expressed by Kamal in the book, but before that we must make Saarc a success. Both India and Pakistan know the bottom lines, and I am optimistic in this regard. If these issues are resolved, Saarc will be a success.”

Kamal Azfar shared with the audience a poem by Faiz Ahmed Faiz. The poet, he said, ignited the fire and provided hope and motivation. “My message to the younger generation is that the future of Pakistan is bright and it is not a failed state,” he said.

The event concluded with book signing by the author.

“The Waters of Lahore”, conceived as a trilogy, is a political autobiography that explores three different themes and eras titled ‘The Transfer of Power’, ‘Camelot by the Sea’ and ‘Asian Drama Revisited.’