Intizar Hussain speaks on the first day of the National Book Day Festival on Wednesday. Ataul Haq Qasmi is also seen. — Photo by Ishaque Chaudhry

ISLAMABAD: “There were no differences between Hindus and Muslims of the subcontinent in the 1930s, the differences emerged when the Pakistan movement began,” said Urdu writer Intizar Hussain on Wednesday.

He was speaking at an event, part of the five-day National Book Day Festival organised by the National Book Foundation.

Mr Hussain said his father decided to educate him at home and when he (Intizar) was able to be admitted in class eighth, the local school refused to admit him.

“A missionary school admitted me in class eighth but there was only one Muslim student apart from me in the school. The teachers were Hindu but never discriminated against me,” he said.

Mr Intizar said that his house was located on the edge of a Muslim neighbourhood and Hindus lived on the other side of his house so he spent his life between the two communities.

“There was a temple on one side and a mosque on the other side of my house,” he said.

In response to a question by Ataul Haq Qasmi regarding his feeling about the Pakistan movement, Mr Hussain said at the time, the idea of Pakistan was debated among his family.

“However, I started writing and chose the language which was used by the general public to speak with each other,” he said.

Ataul Haq Qasmi also asked that why progressives criticised Mr Hussain and later started calling him a progressive.

Mr Hussain responded that the progressive movement died on its own. He said that Ahmed Nadeem Qasmi told him to send an essay for his publication and he sent ‘Peshawar Express’ in response. Over time, he began writing on issues which inspired or annoyed him.

He said Nasir Kazmi also helped him and also stopped him from going to Karachi when he was in Lahore and unemployed.

Masood Ashar was the moderator of the talk and Dr Sairah Alvi did compering.

Earlier, Federal Minister for Information, Broadcasting and National Heritage Senator Pervaiz Rashid inaugurated the festival.

The festival is aimed at providing an opportunity to visitors to buy books at discounted prices from the book-stalls set up at the festival. Celebration of National Book Day is hoped to encourage people to read. A large number of people, educationists, students, intellectuals, teachers, writers and book-lovers participated in the event.

The minister said: “Promotion of book-culture and inculcation of book reading habit among people can lead us to the way of prosperity, progress and development in every field of life. Through such activities Pakistan’s image can be rebuilt.”

Ambassador of Turkey in Pakistan Sadik Babur Girgin said that Turkey and Pakistan enjoyed very close and historic brotherly relations.

He appreciated the contributions made by Pakistan for the promotion of cultural activities and common literature of Pakistan and Turkey.

Renowned writer Ataul Haq Qasmi also expressed his views at the opening ceremony and said that being a progressive nation, Pakistanis are taking a keen interest in reading books.

NBF Managing Director Dr Inamul Haq Javeid said the sixth National Book Day is being celebrated in Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Quetta and Peshawar at the same time.

He said that NBF had launched various programmes for the promotion of book culture and encouragement of book reading, such as the Readers Club Scheme, publication of books on different topics and subjects, development of new textbooks and introduction of mobile bookshops.

Published in Dawn, April 23rd, 2015

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