ISLAMABAD, Nov 29: Pakistan is currently working on a new software aimed at achieving simultaneous interpretation and translation of spoken and written texts in English and other Pakistani languages, said Dr Mohammad Qasim Bughio, Chairman Sindh Language Authority while presiding over a recent Sachal Sarmast national seminar in Islamabad.

The Pakistan Academy of Letters, the Shah Latif Social and Cultural Organization and the National Rabita Council had organized the event.

Dr Bughio described the new project as an addition to the ongoing measures to promote understanding and communication between the principal languages of Pakistan to advance further the message of tolerance preached by the famed sufi poet, Sachal Sarmast.

He said the new software would be the country’s contribution for the forthcoming world summit on information society, which has thrown up the idea that the concept of world being a village had yielded a new concept in which society would get preferential treatment on the basis of equitable information it would offer to keep pace with new advances.

Arabic, Chinese, German, Spanish and other European languages have successfully made preparations for the summit while Pakistan still lagged behind, he added.

He said it was a vital project and Pakistan should take steps to complete its preparations on time.

Dr Bughio was keen to connect the project with Sachal Sarmast’s message of love and tolerance among different religions and sects.

He said the new project would promote and enable people of all the four provinces to appreciate each other’s languages and literary heritage.

He said Sindh had always maintained a tradition of openness and welcomed all new-comers in the same way as England, Europe or America had done.

These countries have welcomed diverse people of all nationalities exactly in the tradition of the sufis, Dr Bughio added.

Senator Shahzad Waseem said sufis attracted large followings because they set a personal example of love and tolerance. He said at present religious leaders’ preaching failed to carry conviction with their audience.

He stated that Sachal Sarmast and other sufis had proved beyond doubt that love always prevailed over hate. There is an urgent need for people from all walks of life to come forward and build a constituency of love, overshadowing hatred and intolerance, he added.—Jonaid Iqbal