KARACHI, May 18: Speakers at a ceremony on Thursday stressed the need for exchange of contemporary poets, writers and scholars between Iran and Pakistan for further strengthening the cultural and intellectual acquaintances of peoples of both countries.

The ceremony was organised at a hotel by the Pakistan Academy of Letters to welcome a delegation of over a dozen poets and writers from Iran, famous for their revolutionary thoughts and works.

The Sindh Education Minister, Dr Hamida Khuhro, was the chief guest.

Members of the delegation, who included Mohammed Jawad Mohabbat, Mohammed Reza Abdul Mulkian, Khusro Ehteshami, Hadi Munawari, Hussain Israfilee, Pervez Begi Habibabadi, Mustafa Muhaddisi Khurasani, Abdul Jabbar Kakai, Syed Ziauddin Shafiee and others, were given a warm reception and admired for their overall role in the development of modern Iran.

Books, shields and traditional Sindhi caps and Ajraks were offered to the visitors from Iran on behalf of the Academy of Letters, Sindh Adabi Board.

The Director General of the Iranian Cultural Centre in Karachi, Dr Mohammad Mehdi Tawassili, and Consul General of Iran Muhammad Musa Hussaini were also present.

Dr Ashraf Aga introduced the poets and writers to the audience while Prof Khial Afaqi and Rehana Ehsan paid tributes to the visitors and their country in the shape of poetries in Persian, which was equally liked by the Iranian and Pakistani participants at the reception.

Speakers expressed the view that Iran today was a symbol of courage and steadfastness and a source of inspiration for other countries in the region. “Our writers and poets can also learn a lot from their Iranian counterparts,” they added.

Speaking as the chief guest, Dr Hamida Khuhro said that she was really overwhelmed by seeing the group of Iranian poets and scholars in the capital of Sindh.

“Your visit will help invoke old memories and flow of intellect from Iran to Sindh during the Mughal era and after,” she said, adding that Hafiz Shirazi, Hakim Firdausi and Saadi Shirazi had been the sources of inspiration for the poets and scholars and spiritual figures of Sindh.

She said that Persian used to be the second and official language of Sindh as well.

“During the last 50-60 years, we had distanced ourselves from Persian but it was the time again to restore our connections with our missing cultural assets, which is possible only with the frequent visits of intellectual figures, historians and poets from both countries,” she noted.

The Vice-Chancellor of the Sindh University, Mazharul Haq Siddiqui, said that relations founded by scholars, poets, writers and culturists lasted long.

He said that Iranian intellectuals had played a great role in the revolution and transformation of Iran, a country which was now praised for its bravery and steadfastness and for the peace prevailing in it.

The Director General of the Pakistan Academy of Letters, Aga Noor Muhammad Pathan, retraced the history of Persian in the Sindh province and said that religious and other literature in Sindh were largely in Persian.

The visiting Iranian poets, Pervez Begi, Israfilee, Khurassani and Syed Ziauddin, also presented a selection of their works related to the Iranian revolution and their leader Imam Khomeini.