Sindh Caretaker Chief Minister Justice (Retd) Maqbool Baqar on Saturday inaugurated the two-day Pakistan Literature Festival 2023 Sukkur Chapter organised by the Arts Council of Pakistan Karachi (ACPKHI) and Sukkur Institute of Business Administration (IBA Sukkur)

A one-minute silence was observed at the inaugural ceremony in memory of Fatima who was killed in Ranipur and the Palestinians killed due to the ongoing Israeli aggression.

The festival also condemned the killings of Sukkur-based journalist Jan Muhammad Mehr and IBA Sukkur academic Dr Ajmal Sawand. The participants also expressed sorrow over the death of IBA Sukkur founder Nisar Ahmed Siddiqui

Having a literary festival in Sukkur is welcome for intellectual and cultural activities, said Chief Minister Sindh Justice (R) Maqbool Baqir.

People can be united through culture, literature and dance are not obscenity but a breath of fresh air for the society, President of Arts Council Mohammad Ahmad Shah.

Sindh Chief Minister Justice (Rtd) Maqbool Baqir inaugurated the two-day “Pakistan Literature Festival 2023” Sukkur Chapter with the joint cooperation of Arts Council of Pakistan Karachi and IBA University Sukkur. Later, the national anthem of Pakistan was played, the festival strongly condemned the killing of Sukkur journalist Jan Muhammad Mehr, IBA professor Dr. Ajmal Sawand and expressed deep sorrow over the death of IBA founder Nisar Ahmed Siddiqui, while A minute’s silence was observed in memory of Fatima who was killed in Rani Pur and the ongoing Israeli aggression in Gaza and Palestine.

The opening ceremony was attended by Chief Minister Sindh Justice (R) Maqbool Baqir, President Arts Council Mohammad Ahmad Shah, Vice Chancellor IBA. University Sukkur Dr. Asif Ahmed Sheikh addressed, Dr. Jafar Ahmed and Naseer Ahmed Memon delivered keynote speeches while Noor ul Huda Shah, Manwar Saeed, Kishwar Naheed, Journalist Mazhar Abbas, Ghazi Salahuddin, Chairman District Council Syed Kamil Haider Shah, President Arts Council Sukkur Mumtaz Bukhari, Qazi Abdul Wahid, Mustafa Qureshi, Mayor Sukkur Arslan Islam Sheikh along with well-known scholars, writers, poets participated in the event. In the festival, the stalls of various books, clothes and other items including delicious food remained the center of attention of the citizens.

Chief Minister Sindh Justice (retd) Maqbool Baqir while addressing the opening ceremony said that Pakistan Literature Festival Sukkur is a proof of the enduring spirit of our nation, I thank the President Arts Council for inviting me to the opening ceremony of Pakistan Literature Festival Sukkur, the threads of culture and literature together act as a bridge for our national identity. Organizations like the Arts Council play an indispensable role in connecting many cultures together.

Arts Council Karachi is working tirelessly to highlight and preserve the heritage, their determination to promote creativity and intellectual discourse is unparalleled, hosting mega events like Pakistan Literature Festival across the country is a testament to this. Yes, this festival of the Arts Council has made a beautiful bouquet of national and regional languages, highlighting the dynamic cultural and literary tradition in Sukkur, public communication has been given importance, cultural events become a bridge connecting the past with the present.

Inauguration of literary fair is welcome for intellectual and cultural activities, ideas, imaginations and diverse voices are harmonized in cultural event, at this time the nation is facing internal and external challenges, recreational activities are necessary during this time, literary fairs are informative. Sessions are a respite with a combination of entertainment and entertainment. Today, let us foster a sense of unity through shared cultural activities. May this literary journey be enlightening and entertaining for all.

President Arts Council Muhammad Ahmad Shah said in his welcome speech that Sukkur was the most green region of Sindh during the partition of Pakistan. Sindh is the land of Sheikh Ayaz, Sachal, Baidel and Sami. People can be connected through culture. my focus is on the youth, we want to make the youth aware of their culture, he said, we are working for 76 years, we cannot be harmed by the border, we are harming ourselves.

Yes, literature and dancing is not obscenity but a breath of fresh air for the society, we belong to this region of the earth any language if we connect then the whole society can be reformed, we included all languages including Sindhi, Punjabi, Pashto, Balochi, Saraiki in the Aalmi Urdu Conference, we have made Arts Council Karachi an island, whoever comes will get equal respect. Vice Chancellor IBA University Sukkur Dr. Asif Ahmed Sheikh said that 28 and 29 October will be a memorable day in the history of Sukkur.

I congratulate the entire team of Arts Council of Pakistan Karachi for organizing the Pakistan Literature Festival, Sukkur IBA Founder Nisar. Ahmed Siddiqui had a dream whose concept made IBA Sukkur such a big institution, Naseer Ahmed Memon while delivering the keynote speech said that I am very happy to see everyone’s chair equal, Pakistan Literature Festival is a wonderful event.

We have to pave the way to take our economy and youth forward, it is admirable for the galaxy to come together like this in a place where there is despair, he said if we want our Sindh to develop, we need to connect with Sindh. It has to stay, still some people try to spread riots on the basis of religion and language, we have to defeat them together, Dr. Jafar Ahmad said in the keynote speech, “I feel very happy when I see girls reading, Sindh.” There are many girls who face restrictions to study, if these are removed, today our girls can also go ahead and play an important role in the development of the country.