Conference marks poet's anniversary

The conference was organised by PAC in collaboration with the International Shah Hamdan Association.

RAWALPINDI:

The "Shah Hamdan Conference" commemorated the birth anniversary of the great leader of Muslim Asia, Syed Ali Hamdani, also known as Hazrat Shah Hamadan.

The conference was organised by Punjab Arts Council (PAC) in collaboration with the International Shah Hamdan Association.

It was presided over by Dr Ghazanfar Mehdi, with Parliamentary Secretary for Information and Culture, Shazia Rizwan, who was invited as the chief guest.

The event also included an introductory presentation of a PhD thesis on Hazrat Shah Hamadan by researcher Dr Hussain Ahmed of NUML University.

Dr Hussain Ahmed expressed pride in having compiled over 100 works of Hazrat Shah Hamadan from the British Library and other esteemed universities, stressing the need to republish these invaluable contributions.

Dr Ghazanfar Mehdi emphasised that promoting the teachings of Hazrat Shah Hamadan could help eliminate terrorism and sectarianism from the country.

Chief Guest Shazia Rizwan stated that Shah Hamadan serves as a great bridge between Central Asia, Kashmir and Pakistan.

She highlighted that Shah Hamadan studied at the madrasa of Hazrat Bahauddin Zakariya in Multan and was a disciple of Hazrat Shah Rukn-e-Alam.

Prominent scholar Amirullah Aseer from Chakwal remarked that Hazrat Shah Hamadan strengthened cultural ties between Central Asia and the region.