ISLAMABAD: The National Language Promotion Department on Wednesday held second conference in connection with the seventy-five years jubilee celebrations of Pakistan’s independence.
It was presided over by the renowned scholar Professor Fateh Muhammad Malik, said a press release issued here.
Eminent short story writer and critic, Muhammad Hameed Shahid and Deen Urdu Department Islamic University, Dr. Najeeba Arif were the chief guests, whereas Director General of the organization Dr. Rauf Parekh, Dr. Rashid Hameed, well known short story writer Mubeen Mirza, Afshan Abbasi, Dr. Fareeha Nighat, Kaukab Iqbal Advocate were among the speakers.
Professor Fateh Muhammad Malik was of the opinion that we were still following the cultural track laid down before us in Khadija Mastoor’s novel “Angan” with all its peculiarities.
Muhammad Hameed Shahid stated that from independence to the tragedy of East Pakistan and from then on up till now, the world has transformed into a global village and all boundaries seem to have vanished.
Our fiction is also more reflective of problems of the outside world and less of our own.
Dr. Najeeba Arif presented a very comprehensive overview of the seventy-five years of Pakistani literature, dividing it in three main eras, namely the post partition era, the modern era and the postmodern era.
She said that today’s Urdu novels focus more on the individual than society as a whole, moreover it rarely encompasses the spiritual aspects of a human being’s personality.
Mubeen Mirza also gave a thorough and interesting analysis of Urdu short story and other forms of fiction over the past 75 years.