HYDERABAD, June 5: A website on Shaikh Ayaz International Conference was launched to mark 2008 as International Languages Year on Thursday.

The website was launched by the Organizing Committee of 2nd International Conference on Language and Literature during a meeting, and in conformity to the UN’s General Assembly announcement.

Vice-Chancellor Sindh University and Chief Patron of the Committee, Mazharul Haq Siddiqui presided over the meeting. The conference will be organized by the Faculty of Arts from November 7 to 10.

Mr Siddiqui while speaking on the occasion said the website would provide relevant information to national and international scholars.

Chairman Organizing Committee and Dean Faculty of Arts, Dr M. Qasim Bughio said that according to the UN about 96 per cent of the languages will disappear from the world in next 20 to 40 years, with many already vanished.

Dr Bughio said introductory material related to the province, the Sindh University, and the Conference had been posted on website.

He said July 31 had been fixed as the last date for acceptance of abstracts and proposals of papers by the Committee. He said a pre-review committee will be formed comprising scholars from Pakistan, the US, the UK and Malaysia.

The meeting nominated Pro-Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Rafia Ahmed Shaikh as patron of the Organizing Committee of the International Conference. The meeting approved $100 as registration fee for international scholars and Rs1,000 for local.

The meeting approved the address of website: saicll@arts.usindh.edu.pk or dean@arts.usindh.edu.pk. The meeting was attended by Director Institute of Information Communication Technology Dr Imdad Ali, Registrar Mohammad Saleh Rajar, Dr Mohammad Ali Bhatti, Director Institute of Art and Design, Dr Hafiz Abdul Ghani Shaikh, Director Institute of Languages, Dr Noor Afroze Khowaja, Dr Javed Iqbal, Prof Salma Leghari and others.