PESHAWAR: The Abasin Arts Council (AAC), Peshawar chapter, gave away awards and cash prize of Rs10,000 each to Pashto, Hindko and Urdu poets, writers and scholars for producing best literary and research works during 2017-18.

The AAC Adabi Award winners included Bushra Farrukh, Fareed Arsh, Akhtar Reza Saleemi, Syed Zubair Shah, Aftab Iqbal Bano, Mohammad Zahir Shah Zahir, Gul Mohammad Bitab, Saeed Gilani, Nazeer Bhatti and Imtiazul Haq Imtiaz.

The award ceremony was held at the KP Culture Directorate here on Friday. Students and young writers also attended the function.

Speaking as chief guest, Prof Dr Qibla Ayaz, chairman of the Council of Islamic Ideology, said that poets, writers and research scholars played a great role in shaping the ideas of the society.

He said that ignoring social sciences caused a great damage the social values on all levels.

“Literati keep the society alive and motivate a spirit among the masses to love their land, values and people. It is their foremost responsibility to lead the society in the right direction,” Mr Ayaz said.

Mushtaq Shabab, AAC honourary secretary, said that literati had made great improvements in their respective fields and their works would benefit the readers in many ways.

Bushra Farrukh and Fareed Arsh received Sardar Abdur Rab Nishtar and Prof Shafi Sabir awards for their best Urdu poetry collections – ‘Mujhe Awaz Mat Dena’ and ‘Raig Rawan’, while Akhtar Reza Saleemi and Syed Zubair Shah got Allah Bakhsh Yousafi and Prof Shafi Sabir awards for their best Urdu fiction works – ‘Jandar’ and ‘Yekhbast Dehleez’. Similarly, Justice Kiyani award went to Aftab Bano for her Urdu research/compilation titled ‘Mera Dilbar Shehar’.

Rahman Baba and Khushal Khan Khattak awards were grabbed by Zahir Shah Zahir and Gul Mohammad Bitab, respectively, for their best Pashto poetry volume titled ‘Da Wakhtono Karra Maar Ke’ and Pashto prose work ‘Da Chanchanrru Toot’. Saeed Gilani, Nazeer Bhatti and Imtiazul Haq were given awards in the name of Syain Ahmad Ali, Reza Hamdani and Farigh Bukhari for their best Hindko poetry, prose and research/compilation works under the titles of ‘Peepal Watre’,

Likha Likhiya’ and ‘Allama Iqbal Ke Muntakhab Nazmein’.

Abdur Rauf Ruhaila, chairman of AAC, Peshawar, and Prof Nazeer Tabbasum also spoke at the ceremony.

Published in Dawn, September 28th, 2019