18th Aalmi Urdu Conference kicks off

KARACHI:

The four-day 18th Aalmi Urdu Conference 2025 - Jashan-e-Pakistan commenced with enthusiasm at the Arts Council of Pakistan Karachi on Thursday. The event drew a large audience, including students, writers, poets, artists, and cultural enthusiasts. Governor Sindh Kamran Khan Tessori attended the opening ceremony as chief guest.

The ceremony began with the recitation of the Holy Quran, followed by the national anthem and a show reel highlighting the history and achievements of the Aalmi Urdu Conference. Cakes were cut in celebration of both Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah's birth anniversary and Christmas, marking a festive start to the conference.

Renowned literary figures, poets, and journalists attended the inaugural session. Poet Iftikhar Arif said the conference encourages dialogue among speakers of all Pakistani languages, emphasising the importance of respecting every mother tongue. Writer and critic Nasir Abbas Nayyar, in his keynote address, highlighted literature's power to create new eras and spaces for human expression. He praised the Arts Council's recent Global Cultural Festival, calling it a model of a "Global Dialogic Space" that bridges local culture with the world.