Bureau Report
Manchester
The 2nd International Punjabi Conference concludes at the Mosses Centre, Bury, Greater Manchester. Chairman Al Mustafa Welfare Trust (AMWT), Abdul Razzaq Sajid, chaired the last session of the conference, while a Punjabi poetry session was also held. The participants also announced a declaration and demanded that the government of Punjab teach the Punjabi language in schools, promote Sufism, and set up E-Punjabi libraries in the UK.
The Chairman, Al Mustafa Abdul Razzaq Sajid, chaired the last session of the conference. He was warmly received on his arrival, and the organising committee honoured him with a traditional Punjabi turban. The speakers, including Abdul Razzaq Sajid, Sabir Raza, Dr Zahid Hassan, Mansoor Afaq, and Mudasir Butt, expressed their views on Punjabi journalism. Abdul Razzaq Sajid said in his address that Sufi poets played a vital role in promoting the Punjabi language. He appreciated Mudasir Butt, who is working for the promotion of the Punjabi language both in Pakistan and the UK. He criticised that the people of Punjab were divided over religion and sectarianism and stressed that they can be united through the Punjabi language. After his speech, a song written by Mansoor Afaq to highlight the services of Al Mustafa was also presented, and participants lauded the humanitarian services of Al Mustafa. Mudasir Iqbal Butt said that during the three-day conference, some 18 sessions were held, and it was a successful event. He stated that “Islam was spread in the subcontinent through the efforts of the Sufis. Punjabi is a sweet language, and it is the need of the hour to promote it among the younger generation.” He also acknowledged the humanitarian services of Abdul Razzaq Sajid and said that Al Mustafa is one of the biggest charities in Pakistan. Dr Zahid Hassan said that Abdul Razzaq Sajid is serving humanity throughout the world. He also admired the services of Mudasir Iqbal Butt, who has been publishing a Punjabi newspaper, “Bulekha,” for the last 35 years. Mansoor Afaq said that Maharaja Ranjit Singh started the first Punjabi newspaper and was the first ruler in Punjab who worked to promote the Punjabi language, and at that time, the literacy rate in Punjab was recorded at 90 percent.
The conference concluded with a poetry session, and folk singers also performed on the occasion. Umair Manzoor also announced the declaration of the conference. During the three-day conference, prominent people who addressed different sessions included Dr Liaquat Ali Malik (DM TV), Ihsan Shahid Bari, Dr Azhar Javed, Shagufta Gimmi, Mushtaq Lashari, Waqas Butt, Nisar Malik (Haji Baba Meat), Razia Chaudhry, Faizan Adil, Harjinder Singh, Manjeet Singh, Balbir Kathiria, Former MPA Sindh Assembly Saleem Khurshid Khokhar, Tahir Hafeez, Naeem Thathal, Manan Qadeer, Dr Fahad Hassan, Shariq Khan, Ali Imran Kazmi, Hassan Firzouq, Liaquat Ali and others.
