LANDI KOTAL: The Khyber district administration has announced to hold an international poetry session in order to promote literary activities in the region.

This was announced by deputy commissioner Mehmud Aslam Wazir while speaking at a literary session organised by the local administration in collaboration with Khyber sports department at Malagori to pay tributes to the Baba-i-Ghazal of Pashtu poetry Amir Hamza Khan Shinwari on Sunday.

He said that Khyber had in the past produced renowned literary figures who had rich contributions to the Pashtu poetry. He said that poets and writers played a key role in the society and helped in reforming the thinking of local populations with their poetry and writings.

Mr Wazir said that his administration would organise an international literary gathering to pay tribute to the great writers from the past and to provide a suitable platform to the existing lot of writers and poets alongside promoting the local language and culture.

Local Literary figures, including Riaz Afridi, Khalil Baheer, Aurangzeb Malagori and Sher Mat Khan, also shed light on the life and literary contributions of Hamza Baba and said that his writings provided an in-depth knowledge about life and literature.

They said that Hamza Baba was known internationally among the literary figures and poetry lovers and a number of PhDs were done on his life and literary contributions.

At the end, a poetry session was also held in which local poets presented their latest ghazals and poems.

Published in Dawn, November 25th, 2019