PESHAWAR: The critics, intellectuals and artists gathered with a unison spirit to celebrate rising Pashto bard Mumtaz Orakzai, based in Dubai, for his distinct voice in literary circles.

The Bacha Khan Markaz organised the event that was attended by poets, writers, scholars, literary critics and fans of Mr Orakzai.

Pashto singers Karan Khan, Fazal Wahab Dard, Zafar Iqrar and Rahman Gul sang heart touching poetic pieces of the guest poet. They said that they took pride in singing Mumtaz Orakzai’s poetry owing to its charged musical quality and substance.

Mr Orakzai in his brief remarks said poets and writers had a responsibility on their shoulders to versify the pathos of people to reach out to their real issues. He said they had to speak out their minds and hearts.

He said that Pakhtuns understood their cause and would use power of their pen to achieve ultimate goal of ownership of their creative vision.

“We have to pinpoint our real issues and find means to address them in the interest of the poor people,” he said.

Hayat Roghani, chief editor of Pakhtun magazine, said that Bacha Khan Markaz had reactivated its literary, research and cultural activities since July 2017 to promote peace through honouring sessions with prominent personalities in their respective fields.

He said that so far several book launching ceremonies and folk music shows had been conducted under the auspices of a joint teamwork at the Markaz. He said that Mr Orakzai’s poetry emerged as a distinct voice to highlight the issues of Pakhtuns in their true colours.

Prof Khadim Hussain, director of Bacha Khan Educational Trust (BKET), said that Mr Orakzai’s message on national issues was very clear and his poetry could be termed a distinct shift of thought in Pashto literature.

He said that late Riaz Tasnim and Mumtaz Orakzai represented the third generation of those Pashto poets and writers, who deliberately forwarded the cause of Pakhtun nationalism in their poems.

Qazi Manzoor, a fictionist, said that Mr Orakzai had harmonised romanticism, resistance and post modernism to versify the endless saga of pains of Pakhtuns.

Prof Samiud Din Arman, a young critic, said that Mr Orakzai’s experimentation with ghazal proved that micro-fiction was also possible in Pashto literature. He said that the poet introduced a new distinct voice that could translate any genuine issue of the masses in ghazal too.

Awami National Party leader Sardar Hussain Babak told this scribe that art and literature played a pivotal role in shaping the outlook of people on life.

He said that his party believed in the strength of literary tradition as it could convey any message to people in a befitting manner.

“The Bacha Khan Markaz in line with the political vision of party celebrates those literati, artists and intellectuals, who advocate peace and Bacha Khan’s philosophy of non-violence through their art,” said Mr Babak.

Published in Dawn, February 2nd, 2018