KARACHI – The literary services of renowned poet Jon Alia will be eulogised tomorrow at a moot organised by Pakistan Arts Council in connection with the International Urdu Conference, which will continue till December 3rd.

Talking to The Nation on Monday, the Secretary of Arts Council Ahmed Shah said that preparations of seven-day International Urdu conference were in final stage. He told this scribe that a special session has been arranged to remember to pay tribute to Jon Alia and renown writer Mushtaq Yousufi would preside over the ceremony and noted writer and critic Intizar Hussain would be the chief guest.

Other distinguished writers and intellectuals including Zuhra Nigah, Anwar Maqsood, Sehar Ansari, Kishwar Naheed would also throw light on the different dimensions of Alia’s poetry. On this occasion a mushaira would also be held. Shah said various committees had been set up for the arrangements of the moot.

He said they were expecting participants from US, India, Britain and Canada and a welcome-desk had been established at Jinnah International Airport. Chairman Kocha-e-Saqafat Saifur Rehman Grami told TheNation that vice president of Arts Council Masood Hashmi and Secretary Ahmed Shah would announce the schedule of the seven-day conference in a press conference today. Chairman Adabi Committee of Arts Council Professor Sehar Ansari said that the famous literary figures from India including Dr Gopi Chand Narung, Dr Khaliq Anjum, Dr Shamim Hanafi, Professor Siddiqur Rehman Qudvai, Shahid Maholi, Kashmiri Lal Zakir would attend the moot. Ansari further said that overall aim of the conference is to have a discourse on the evolution of Urdu language through the centuries.
Source: The Nation
Date:11/25/2008