CM asks writers, poets to help purge society of extremism and intolerance

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has said that intolerance, extremism, and self-righteousness are eating into the vitals of our society; therefore, our writers and poets have to purge the society through their write-ups.

Speaking at the 14th International Urdu Conference that kicked off at the Karachi Arts Council on Thursday, he said the incidents of Sialkot and Faisalabad had exposed the mindset of our society, which had been infested with intolerance, extremism, and self-righteousness.

“We have forgotten our values, respect for women and our guests,” the chief minister said, adding that “we, the politicians and the journalists,” had created a new trend of insulting each other, fighting with each other, accusing each other in the prime-time shows of news channels. “These kinds of programmes are also contributing in promoting intolerance and self-righteousness.”

Shah stressed that the electronic media would have to start literary programmes so that people had the choice to switch over to political or literary programmes. He emphasised a dire need to restructure the Pakistani society so that such incidents which damaged not only the image of the country but our humanity and the religion were prevented through a system of social control.

The CM recalled that in the past, people used to read books and visit libraries to seek knowledge, but now the habit of reading had totally vanished, and it had been replaced with interaction on social media.

“The books I have read in my life are still in my memory, but the material I read on social media does not last longer in the memory. We have to move forward to the digital age in which we would have to digitise our best literature so that people could take benefit from it.”

Shah invited the Arts Council and its members to support him to establish and modernise libraries all over Sindh. He said it was time writers and poets waged war along with him against extremism; otherwise, he warned, our future generations would not pardon us.

Shah lauded the efforts of President Arts Council Ahmed Shah and his team for promoting cultural activities in this city, which had seen bloodshed, looting and plundering. At the conclusion of the session, the chief minister was presented with a memento, a bouquet of flowers and an Ajrak.

Speaking on the occasion, Culture Minister Syed Sardar Ali Shah called for the adoption of a bill by the parliament for giving regional languages the status of national language. The programme was also attended by provincial minister Syed Sardar Ali Shah, the KMC administrator, and leading writers, poets and critics.