NBF’s National Book Day Festival ends

Islamabad
The National Book Foundation’s 6th National Book Day Festival was a successful event in every aspect and its every segment was very informative and thought-provoking, said Federal Minister for Information, Broadcasting & National Heritage Senator Pervaiz Rashid.
He was speaking at the closing ceremony of five-day National Book Foundation’s 6th National Book Day Festival at the Pak-China Friendship Centre here on Sunday, says a press release.
He applauded the efforts of NBF in organising the event. He said people definitely enjoyed a lot during these five days of the festival. The credit goes to the NBF which held it for offering books at reduced prices at bookstalls of different publishers and booksellers. He lauded the contribution of the NBF managing director in promoting the book-reading culture in the country.
He said through the festival, the message of peace, love and brotherhood reached every nook and corner of Pakistan and NBF played a vital role in this regard. The minister presented awards to well-known scholars Agha Nisar and Ajmal Siraj for their meritorious contributions to literature.
NBF Managing Director Professor Dr. Inam-ul-Haq Javeid, speaking on the occasion thanked all participants, book ambassadors, organisers, bookstall holders, guests, book-lovers, teachers and students who made the event successful.
A large number of writers, scholars, intellectuals, students, academia and book-lovers attended the concluding session. The festival concluded with the slogan ‘Book and Peace Go Together’.
During last five days, the festival attracted a large number of people. About eighty segments were presented in the festival. The main theme and focus of these segments was book that brings tranquillity, harmony and softness in our minds which leads to peace and love in society.
An evening was held with famous writer Intizar Hussain and another evening with humorous poet Anwar Masood.
In the book reading session, the sanctity and glory of the book was highlighted. Atta-ul-Haq Qasmi, Zahida Hina, Muhammad Hameed Shahid and Asghar Nadeem Syed read out selected portions of their books whereas Anwar Shaoor, Sehr Ansari and Shahnaz Shaikh recited verses from poetry books. Mahboob Zafar was the host of this segment.
The programmes of children were also arranged.
Famous writers, intellectuals, showbiz stars and personalities of different fields of life enjoyed the event that brought amusement, knowledge and information with respect to Urdu literature.
Similarly, the Overseas Pakistani Writers Segment was also liked by everyone. The former foreign secretary and poet Akram Zaki presided over it and the chief guest was Overseas Pakistanis Foundation Managing Director Habib-ur-Rehman Khan. The writers from abroad and inland met with one another.
The Book Reading Sessions of translation of Turkish and Chinese languages into Urdu were attended by foreigners and Pakistanis as well. ‘Sufi Night’ was also held which was attended by a large number of people. Sanam Marvi, Shiraz Opal, Riaz Qadri and Sher Miandad sang songs in their unique styles and melodious voices. TV artistes Shahnaz Shaikh, Farooq Hassan and Farah Saadia were the hosts of the ‘Sufi Night’. Dr. Atash Durrani held a workshop on Textbook Writing and Development.
Other speakers were Madam Uzma and Chaudhry Faisal Mushtaq. The two-day brain-storming workshop was attended by a large number of teachers, students, experts and professionals. The seminar in the honour of National Poet Allama Muhammad Iqbal was also held. The German cultural attache, famous calligrapher Aslam Kamal and Dr. Ehsan Akbar paid tributes to Iqbal’s philosophy, literature, poetry and the services for Muslims. Humayun Iqbal Shami was the coordinator of this segment. The students of Comsats Institute staged a drama based on the life of our national poet and his message. Darakhshan Batool of Fatima Jinnah University for Women presented graphic personification of Iqbal’s poetry. Another important segment was about translation of Chinese and Persian works into Urdu.