HYDERABAD, Oct 14: The Sindh minister for culture and tourism, Shabbir Ahmed Qaimi, has said that the Sughars (folk poets) were the real protecters of the Sindhi language and in order to introduce them at the international level, they would be sent to foreign countries.

He was speaking as a chief guest at the Sindh Sughar Conference and book launching ceremony of a folk poet, Aajiz Rehmatullah Lashari, whose book is titled “Ramzoon Rehmatullah Joon” (Puzzles of Rehmatullah) at the Sindhi Language Authority here on Monday.

The minister said that special programmes of folk poets would also be organized on radio and TV and folk poetry conferences would be held in different districts.

He announced a financial help of Rs25,000 for the author of the book on behalf of the Sindh culture department as well as purchasing 100 copies of the book.

In his presidential address, the chairman, Sindhi Language Authority, Prof Dr Mohammad Qasim Bughio, said that the folk poets of Sindh were the true heirs of the Sindhi language.

He said that folk literature was an asset of the old nations of the world.

He said the supreme teacher of Sughars, Mohammad Malook Abbasi, was a university of folk wisdom and hundreds of Sughars took pride by proclaiming themselves as his disciples.

Others who spoke on the occasion included Taj Joyo, Rehmatullah Lashari, Mohammad Luqman Khokhar and others.