The three-day International Conference on Urdu and the 21st Century opened at the Islamia University of Bahawalpur on Monday.
More than 50 delegates from India, Bangladesh, Egypt, UK, USA, Qatar, Turkey, Australia, Sweden and Denmark are participating in the mega event. Islamia University of Bahawalpur Vice Chancellor Muhammad Mukhtar, Federal Urdu University Vice Chancellor Zafar Iqbal, and novelist Intezar Hussain spoke at the conference.
Mukhtar welcomed the delegates and said that the IUB was honoured to play host to intellectuals from around the world.
Iqbal said he was happy that the conference had been dedicated to Baba-i-Urdu Maulvi Abdul Haq. He said he added that the conference spoke of the IUB’s commitment to preserving and promoting Urdu literature.
Hussain said it was heartening to note that the IUB had made the effort to highlight Urdu’s importance. He said the university was known wherever Urdu was spoken. He paid rich tributes to the nawabs of the formerly princely state of Bahawalpur for patronising Urdu.
Professor Dr Najib Jamal spoke on the aims and objectives of the moot and thanked the vice chancellor for his support in organising the International Urdu Conference. Academics and scholars attended the event.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 25th, 2014.