Wasim Kazmi
London
To congratulate the leaders and management of the second successful three-day International Punjabi Conference in Manchester, Third World Solidarity’s founding chairman Mushtaq Lasharie hosted a luncheon in honour of Punjabi Union’s President Mudassar Iqbal Butt, Professor Zahid Hassan, Sabir Raza, Mansoor Afaq, and Punjabi poet Abdul Quddus Kaifi at a local hotel in West London. Local journalists, including prominent figures from Punjabi literature, attended the event and congratulated Mudassar Iqbal Butt and his team on holding the second three-day Punjabi Conference in the UK.
On this occasion, the participants also discussed in detail the promotion of Punjabi culture in the UK and the promotion of the Punjabi language for many years. The speakers, while talking to the participants, said that Punjabi language is one of the ancient languages of the world which is still proving its importance in the modern era. They said that millions of people from East and West Punjab around the world are connected to their mother tongue and somehow keep introducing the new generation to Punjabi culture and language. However, millions of families living abroad do not have enough time to regularly transfer their culture to their new generation. This is why such conferences and fairs are the best way where they can involve all the members of their family.
Regarding Pakistani Punjab Tanveer Zaman, Mansoor Afaq, Sabir Raza, Wajahat Ali Khan, Mushtaq Lasharie, Shagufta Gummi and Mian Saleem said that in our Punjab, families are now moving away from their mother tongue, the main reason being that mother tongues, especially Punjabi, are not given importance at the state level, while individuals are also moving away from their mother tongue, which is so pity indeed. However, the importance and historical background of mother tongues cannot be ignored, nor can the mother tongue disappear.
While discussing Punjabi literature at the luncheon, Saqlain Imam, Professor Zahid Hassan, and other speakers said that Punjabi is sometimes a religious language and sometimes a cultural language, but the work that Sufiya Ikram has done in Punjabi literature in the Indian subcontinent is unparalleled, and with the help of this language, an atmosphere of brotherhood and sisterhood was established. They said that even today, Sufiya e Kram’s words are heard and sung in the form of Qawwali, which has its own special place.
The ceremony also emphasised the promotion of the Punjabi language and further work to meet the demands of the changing times, so that the process of speaking, writing, reading and learning can be advanced in view of modern requirements and it can be easy to transfer the mother tongue to the new generation.
The chief guest of the event, Mudassar Iqbal Butt, while thanking the chairman of Third World Solidarity, Mushtaq Lasharie, said that it is not less than a blessing to have such an organisation in the UK where there is always a warm welcome, especially the expression of love for the Punjabi language and assurance of cooperation. He said that our top priority is to make Punjabi language mandatory in educational institutions of Punjab and we have been working on this continuously for many years and hope that the authorities of Pakistan will soon change the education system and give equal importance to the mother tongues of the four provinces and introduce Punjabi language and Sufi poetry, including its historical importance, in the curriculum at the official level in Punjab. He said that the upcoming Punjabi conference will be held in London so that the foundation of the Third Punjab, which has been laid in the UK, can be given the form of a building. Punjabi poets Sabir Raza, Shagufta Gummi, Abdul Quddus Kaifi, enthralled the participants with their Punjabi poetry and books of Professor Zahid Hassan, Sabir Raza, Saleem Gummi (late) were also distributed.
Chairman of “ Sanjha Wehra” Lord MK Pasha, Ghulam Hussain Awan, Sajjad Butt, Rafiq Mughal, Syed Muhammad Tariq, Wajahat Ali Khan, Mona Baig, Tahira Quddus, Aqsa Begum, Miss Momina, Councillor Amjad Tarar, Naeem Khan, Naufal Majid, Asif Saleem Mitha, Tariq Mustafa Khan, Sujeel Ahmed, Mian Saleem, and other personalities related to Punjabi literature and journalism living in London participated in this prestigious event and appreciated such gatherings and fairs with the help of which they remain connected to their land and mother tongue.
