KARACHI: The Seventh International Urdu Conference will be opened on Oct 16 with the launch of distinguished humorist and satirist Mushtaq Ahmed Yousufi’s new book Shaam-i-Shehr-i-Yaraan, announced Arts Council secretary Mohammad Ahmed Shah at a press conference on Friday afternoon.

Mr Shah added that scholars representing different parts of the world would take part in the four-day event being organised by the Arts Council and a big number of them would be doing so using their own resources.

As for Indian writers, he said that 15 of them had consented to come and so far five writers — including Khushbir Singh, Abhishek Shukla and Amir Imam — had already obtained visas. Renowned film personality and writer Javed Akhtar, who’s expected to be in Karachi on Oct 16, didn’t need a visa since he’s a member of parliament, he added.

Mr Shah mentioned that the opening day of the conference would feature the book launch of the greatest living humourist Mushtaq Ahmed Yousufi’s new book Shaam-i-Shehr-i-Yaraan and poet Iftikhar Arif and Javed Akhtar would participate in the programme. Apart from that, a session on the importance of peace in the region and another focusing on other languages of Pakistan — Sindhi, Balochi, Pushto — and their link with Urdu were lined up. He added that this year the award-giving ceremonies were put off to Nov 28 when a three-day event would be held to remember the greats in the field of arts and literature who’re no more with us.

Replying to a question, Mr Shah said he welcomed Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari as an emerging leader of the country and his public address on Oct 18 wouldn’t coincide with the third day of the conference because the moot was of an academic nature; besides, the public address was likely to end early in the evening, whereas a mushaira that’s to take place that day at the council would begin a little late.

Prof Sahar Ansari said the conference had had a positive effect. This year, he told journalists, centenaries of two literary giants Maulana Shibli and Maulana Hali were being celebrated all across the Urdu-speaking world, and the Urdu conference, too, had sessions on the two legends.

Highlighting the significance of the Urdu language, he said when Sir Syed Ahmed Khan went to London he heard some people speak in Urdu. It encouraged him to further the cause of the language. Talking about Urdu didn’t imply its domination but it meant that it’s a language that a large number of people understood, he added.

Prof Ansari said if on the one hand there was a group of people which was trying to declare Pakistan a failed state, there were others who were spending their energies in promoting healthy causes.

He added the Arts Council had people representing all ethnic and social groups.

Published in Dawn, October 11th, 2014