KARACHI, Jan 30: Aek Qadam Aur, a novel by Begum Akhtar Ghayur, was launched at the Rotary Club on Wednesday. Presided over by the club’s president, the ceremony was addressed by Prof Ali Haider Malik, Shamim Mazer, and Dr Mohammad Ali Siddiqui who was also the chief guest.

The novel which depicts the present socio-political conditions of Pakistan was much admired by the speakers.

Dr Siddiqui said not many novels were being written in Urdu and the readers too were mostly indifferent to reading. He mentioned the French society where people eager to know the minds of other people were most arid readers of novels, thus living the lives of others along with living their own lives. “This is a healthy way to bring people closer and build a common sense of oneness,” he said.

He further said that Ms Akhtar had ably depicted the major part of the Pakistani society, particularly poor women. He also admired the craft used in writing the novel which carried the message that with massive social work, the conditions would improve.

Earlier, Ali Haider Malik traced the history of urdu novels based on social study and reformation. He said the major cause of our problems was the feudal system and agreed with Ahmad Zia Zuberi, compered the programme, that had feudalism been done away with, there would have been no exploitative class system in the country.

He observed that the writer had presented the case of women in a thoughtful manner without raising emotions against men.

Mr Shamim Mazer in his paper surveyed the socio- economic development in Pakistan spread over more than half a century, and lamented that we had failed to realize the dream of a healthy, prosperous and tolerant society.

He praised the writer for her literary commitment, and also women in Pakistan who, he said, were in many ways stronger than men— intellectually and spiritually, and more humane and tolerant.

Ms Akhtar Ghayur’s novel depicts life in a Potohar village where she spent some time as a headmistress. She also spoke of her experiences with working women. Aek Qadam Aur is her second novel, the first one being Pehchan.

Modassir Ahmad thanked the guests.—Hasan Abidi