PESHAWAR: Speakers at a literary session held here the other day called upon writers to promote the spirit of national unity, social cohesion and mutual respect through their writings and portray positive image to the world of a progressive and inclusive society envisaged by founding fathers of the nation.

The trilingual poetry recitation session was arranged by Pakistan Academy of Letters (PAL) in connection with diamond jubilee celebrations of Pakistan Independence.

Poets from parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa including provincial metropolis participated in the event held at Urdu Science Board Library Hall. Asmat Soorani moderated the event.

Khan Badshah Nusrat, the resident director of PAL, said that PAL regional chapter had been serving local poets and writers within its limited resources since its inception to instill a spirit of national unity among people towards building a pluralistic society.

Pashto, Hindko and Urdu poets recited poems advocating humanism, national unity and lasting peace. They asked young bards to portray positive image of Pakistan in their writings.

Prof Owais Qarni, who chaired the event, said that literati hailing from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had always advocated peace, unity and the spirit of respect for all in their writings. He added that even in the freedom movement, poets and writers of the region played a pivotal role that was part of national history.

Renowned Urdu poet Qudsia Qudsi said that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa being home to linguistic and cultural diversity had rich talent and poets. She said that writers should come forward to revive the spirit of mutual respect, harmony and national unity according to the vision of Qauid-i-Azam and Allama Iqbal.

Prominent Hindko poet Prof Arshad Hussain Malik said that poets and writers could promote national unity towards a forward-looking society. Being gifted with powerful tool of creativity, they could craft wonderful word images for motivating positive thinking among young people, he added.

Known Pashto writer Prof Sher Zaman Seemab said that guiding people on the right track was the due responsibility of literati. He said that they were being looked upon as social reformers and teachers, therefore, they were supposed to contribute positively towards national integration so that young people could draw inspiration from their writings.

Sufi Bashir, Jalbal Ashnaghari, Nasim Sahar and Shah Mamood Ghaznavi were among the noted poets, who received great applause from the audience.

Published in Dawn, November 19th, 2021