KARACHI: Poets and writers of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh lashed out at perceptions of ethnic differences in the country when they sat together at the Pakistan Academy of Letters (PAL) office.
Prof. Abasin Yousafzai of the Pashtu department at Peshawar University described the situation in his province in his poetry which criticised the clergy for their role in terrorism and extremism.
Yousafzai said that Sindh was more developed in terms of culture and the aim of the delegation was to be a platform for exchange of ideas. “The visit will help us understand the rich Sindhi culture and will broaden our vision,” he said.
He also appreciated the government’s step of setting up a culture directorate in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The delegation is part of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government cultural exchange programme. The writers and poets will stay for three days and will also visit the historical sites in Sindh. It comprised Prof. Muhammad Azam Azam, Prof. Abasin Yousafzai, Younus Qaisi, Aziz Ijaz, Rokhan Yousafzai and others.
The resident director of PAL Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chapter, Prof. Muhammad Azam Azam, said that he found Karachi to be different from what he expected. “We heard terrible things about the city,” he said. “But we saw that the people are just like us. They speak the same language of humanity that we do.” He said that people should think beyond ethnicity and religion.
The resident director of PAL Karachi chapter, Agha Noor Mohammad, called the get-together, organised by Pakhtun Thinkers Forum Karachi, a step forward towards cultural progress.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 31st, 2011.
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