KARACHI -The nations who forget their language and culture are nowhere to be found on the planet, said Sindh Katchi Abadis and Spatial Development Minister Rafique Engineer. He said this while addressing the closing session of the two-day national literary conference on ‘Analysis of promotion of Sindhi language and literature’ organised by the Federal Urdu University of Arts, Science and Technology (FUUAST) Sindhi Department in collaboration with the Higher Education Commission (HEC) at FUUAST Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan Auditorium Gulshan campus. “All practical steps should be taken for the development of Sindhi language,” he added.
Eulogising the research work by intellectuals and literary persons, the provincial minister said the Sindhi language was lucky to have a separate history, civilisation and culture. “The nations with rich land, culture, civilisation and traditions besides mountains, deserts and soft land will definitely be peace-loving. Our land is agriculture-based and the Sindhi people are innocent, peaceful and loving,” said Rafique.
Paying rich tributes to Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto for giving protection to Sindhi Language in the 1973 constitution, the minister said that those who struggle for the development of language, literature and culture really deserve admiration. “From Shah Latif to Shaikh Ayaz, Shamsherul Haideri to Dr Nawaz Ali Shouq and all others who played a vital role for the development of Sindhi language deserve ppreciation,” added Rafique. “We are proud of our language just like the French, Russian, Chinese and other people, who speak their own language proudly, and we should come forward for the development of Sindhi language and culture,” said the minister.
Speaking on the occasion earlier, renowned intellectual Dr Nawaz Ali Shouq described the history of the Sindhi language. “The language with strong roots in the soil will remain alive. Languages can never be imposed forcibly just like Arabic and Persian were enforced but never prospered. The British rulers were intelligent as they gave the status of official language to Sindhi because they were aware of its history,” said Shouq.
He added that other language-speaking people have fused into the Sindhi nation and one day the Urdu-speaking would also fight for the Sindhi language. “The thinking will change with the passage of time,” he said. Dr Fateh Muhammad Burfat, Dr Muhammad Qaiser, Dr Qamarul Haq, FUUAST Registrar Dr Inayat Hussain Leghari, Dr Noor Afroze Khuwaja, Dr Muhammad Ali Manjhi, Dr Khurshid Abbasi, Dr Kamal Jamro, Seema Abro, Qabool Abro and others also addressed the conference.
