Young poets gather to celebrate Urdu

Karachi : A group of young poets gathered on Saturday evening at the TDF Ghar to celebrate Urdu in reaction to what they described as anti-Urdu remarks passed by Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party leader Mehmood Khan Achakzai at a recent political gathering.

The poets included journalist Wajeeh Sani, lawyer Muhammad Ali, Rabyea Bugti and Abbas Mumtaz. The event was attended by students and civil society members. “This Mehfil-e-Mushaira is not just a gathering but a protest against the regressive mindset which is reluctant to accept the status of Urdu as the national language of the country and maliciously call it a rival of the regional languages,” said Ebad Ahmed, a journalist and one of the organisers of the event. “Calling out such a divisive mindset is a moral responsibility; hence, this gathering was convened to register reservations against the uncalled for remarks.” The guest poets recited their poetry, spoke about the language’s significance in the nation-building process and reiterated that needless controversies regarding the language should be avoided for peace and harmony in the country. Social activist Samar Abbas, while speaking on the occasion, said that times such as today demanded that the people of Karachi, especially those who were from academia and literary circles, must play their role in promoting the language by using it as a medium to strengthen the bond between all Pakistanis from Karachi to Kashmir.

The poets, at the end of the session, agreed that literary aesthetics played a vital role at individual and collective levels by instilling constructive values, norms, and traditions; hence, it should be appreciated on a greater level by the state officials.