‘Mohenjo-Daro bears witness to Indus civilization’
Panelists express their views at the fifth Sindh Literature Festival under way at Pakistan Arts Council Karachi. Photo: express
The Arts Council of Pakistan (ACP) Karachi and Sindh Literary Foundation jointly launched the fifth Sindh Literature Festival inaugurated by Sindh Minister for Culture and Education Syed Sardar Shah and President Arts Council Karachi Muhammad Ahmad Shah. The three-day festival started with intellectual discourse on the shared heritage of the Indus valley and the literary contribution of all the different languages people speak in the province.
Commissioner Karachi Muhammad Iqbal Memon, renowned writer Noorul Huda Shah, Mehtab Akbar Rashdi, Naseer Memon, Shamsul Haq Memon participated at the launch day.
The Provincial Minister for Education and Culture Syed Sardar Ali Shah said that Mohenjo-Daro bears witness to the Indus Valley Civilization, which was introduced a hundred years ago to the world by Sir John Marshall.
Shah said that the word industry is also derived from Indus. We want the new generation to know that Sindh province is the inheritor of the great civilization, he said.
The minister said that the Arts Council has given opportunities to all languages and nationalities. He said that it is the responsibility of every citizen to make effort in order to improve the education system.
Karachi Commissioner Muhammad Iqbal Memon said that the literature festival proved that we aim to keep our heritage alive. He said that Arts Council Karachi is doing commendable job in keeping our culture and history thriving.
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While addressing the audience, ACP President Muhammad Ahmed Shah congratulated the entire team for organising the festival.
He expressed his love for Karachi and the Sindh province and said that the new generation is more focused on their success rather than the nation’s growth and provincial politics. “Sindh is proud of its glorious history, we must reform ourselves, increase our observation in order to study our history and culture”, he said.
Present at the event, Noor ul Huda Shah said that people of all languages are sitting together at the festival and hosting such educational events is a civilised way to promote culture in the world.
SLF organizer Naseer Gopang while talking to the audience said that all languages together make a bouquet, and it is our responsibility to maintain it. The festival has included Sindhi literature as well as other regional languages of the province.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 19th, 2022.