Call for stronger literary, cultural ties between Pakistan and Canada
\nTORONTO
\nConsul General (CG) of Pakistan in Toronto, Khalil Ahmed Bajwa has called for stronger literary and cultural ties between Pakistan and Canada as a large number of the expat Pakistanis live and work in the North American country and contributing to both the countries.
\nHe was addressing as Chief Guest the Parveen Shakir Urdu Literature Festival organized by the Parveen Shakir Trust (PST) here at a local hall on Saturday.
\nA large number of the expat Pakistanis their families, local poets, Members of the Parliament (MPs) of Canada and fans of late Parveen Shakir turned up in large number to attend the event.
\nPakistan-origin Members of Parliament (MPs) of Canada Shafqat Ali, Yasir Naqvi and Iqra Khalid were guests of honour.
\nThe festival also marked the formal launch of the PST Canada chapter and featured a number of engaging discussions and debates on stronger literary relations, promotion and projection of Urdu literature in Canada and above all paying tributes to the great literary figures and poetry sessions etc.
\nMr Bajwa said it was a matter of immense pleasure and privilege for him to attend the launching of the PST Canada chapter.
\nHe called Parveen Shakir a role model and a spokesperson of Pakistan\u2019s women, particularly young women who want to find their place in life and realize their dreams. She wad indeed a great promising poet who was killed in a tragic road accident at the of 42 in 1994.
\nIt is quite reassuring to see that her memory is kept alive even 30 years after her death and the PST team deserves huge appreciation for that.
\nCG Bajwa said that only those nations which keep the memory of their national heroes alive attain greatness and success.
\nMP Shafqat Ali also spoke on the occasion and congratulated the PST for hosting an event that will be remembered long.
\nTo me, Parveen Shakir represents women empowerment as her poetry opened new pathways of possibilities for the women. After reading Parveen they were no longer scared to express their ideas openly and frankly on the subjects that were considered forbidden in society, he noted.
\nMP Yasir Naqvi said the event provided a good platform to promote Urdu language and literature.
\nIqra Khalid, MP, emphasized community building and strong linkages for better understanding.
\nShe also paid rich tributes to late poetess and congratulated the PST for opening its chapter in Canada.
\nEarlier, the organizers of the event, PST Chairperson Parveen Qadir Agha, Vice Chairman and son of Parveen Shakir, Syed Murad Ali, lifetime member of the PST Mazharul Islam and Secretary of the PST Canada, Asad Naseer welcomed the guests.
\nThey termed the launching of the PST Canada chapter a milestone event.
\nParveen Qadir Agha said,
\n\u201cWith the formal launch, the trust becomes international and this is in continuation of the PST\u2019s endeavors for growth and expansion.\u201d
\nIt will also lead to our opening such chapters in other parts of the world, she said giving the credit to the \u201cdedicated son of Parveen Shakir\u201d for the successful launch in Canada.
\nShe also spoke about \u201cAks-e-Khushbu Awards\u201d which are given annually along with cash prizes to encourage young writers and poets.
\nAwards are also given for best fiction and foreign language book.
\nPublication of books about Parveen Shakir\u2019s poetry is also a regular feature of the trust\u2019s activities.
\nIn 2021, we introduced the institution of awards in the names of famous personalities which are sponsored by their families or institutions, she said.
\nShe also paid compliments to Mazharul Islam who has conceived and formulated the event in Canada.
\nMazharul Islam paid rich tributes to Parveen Shakir and called her a true genius of our age. We find in her poems not only birds and butterflies, a woman\u2019s longing and suffering but also a revolt against the stereotypes and taboos.
\nThis element distinguishes her from other women poets, he said.
\nMurad\u2019s two daughters, Shanze 10 and Arya, 7 were also very much part of the PST festival and remained there till late hours.
\nMurad expressed his gratitude to the overwhelming number of audience that had come to attend the event in memory of his mother.
\nHe particularly mentioned PST Chairperson Parveen Qadir Agha and her selfless efforts to continue to keep the flame of his mother\u2019s memory burning all these 27 odd years.
\nHe also read out his mother\u2019s poem \u201cChehra\u201d that was also sung by late Junaid Jamshed who was considered a great icon of music in those days, said Murad.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Call for stronger literary, cultural ties between Pakistan and Canada TORONTO Consul General (CG) of Pakistan in Toronto, Khalil Ahmed Bajwa has called for stronger literary and cultural ties between Pakistan and Canada as a large number of the expat Pakistanis live and work in the North American country and contributing to both the countries. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":401681,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-401660","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-top-news"},"yoast_head":"\n