LAHORE: “It is a great honour,” remarked Faiz Ahmad Faiz when the news of the award of the Lenin Peace Prize was broken to him here yesterday evening. The 50-year-old writer, who is resting after having been confined to bed for a few weeks, said: “I have done nothing outstanding to deserve it. I am glad that somebody from Pakistan has won recognition abroad. It is a compliment for Urdu writers of this country; not particularly for me.”

The poet’s journalist wife and two artist daughters were overjoyed. — Agencies

Illiteracy to go within 20 years, says Ayub RAWALPINDI: President Ayub Khan has expressed the hope that illiteracy would be completely eliminated from the country within two decades. He made this observation during the course of an informal exchange of views with a group of writers here yesterday.

He was also confident that with the spread of education to still wider sections of the population during the next three years, election of still better representatives to the Central and Provincial legislatures would be ensured.

Referring to the system of Basic Democracies, the President said the experiment was bound to be a great success. He said the system was becoming a great instrument for spreading education and had no doubt that, under this process, no one would remain illiterate within the next two decades.—Special Correspondent