Federal Minister Mola Bux Chandio has said that there is no threat to democracy in the country which has strengthened enough so as to not allow any dictator.
The Minister was addressing as chief guest at a reception hosted in honour of film star Mustafa Qureshi and his wife Rubina Qureshi at Sindh Museum here Saturday night. The couple was crowned on the occasion in recognition of their services to the entertainment industry.
Chandio said that the Sindhi people had mustered courage to speak in unison on the issues of their interest and to confront any initiative they deem harmful for the province. “No one can dare fool or betray them now,” he said with reference to the complaints that Zulfikarabad project in Thatta was a conspiracy to make Sindhis a minority in Thatta district and rob the coastal belt off Sindh.
The Federal Minister asserted that the elected representatives of Sindh were not coward and that they would never compromise on the interests of the province. They will be with the people till the end of their lives. He said the rhetoric, so called movements and slogans could never appeal the Sindhi people who were aware about who were their actual leaders.
Chandio said the country was formed after many sacrifices and the government of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) would never allow any harm to the country. “The living nations endure crises and difficult situations and always emerge successful through them,” he added.
He said after the next elections the mandate given by the people to the elected representatives should be accepted in order to avoid repeating the history. While praising the artist couple, the Minister said Mustafa Qureshi’s performance in thousands of movies he appeared in over the past four decades was known to all. “He is the gem of the actors the province has produced,” he remarked.
Chandio also complimented Rubina Qureshi for thousands of beautiful songs she sang over the past four decades. “The couple has earned the love of Sindhi people in their lives through their services to the art, cinema and music of Sindh,” he added. Speaker Sindh Assembly Nisar Ahmed Khuhro said the radio had introduced new trends adding that the couple was one of the few new faces introduced by the nascent Radio Pakistan in the 1960s. “They have with the blessings of Almighty won international recognition for their art, their country and their province,” he applauded.
Khuhro said the couple was lucky to have wedded together as both of them had contributed so much to the art. “I am personally a big fan of them. And, I pay them a glowing tribute,” Khuhro said.
The former provincial secretary Ms Mehtab Akbar Rashdi said the Radio Pakistan was their real identity. “Both of them are not just great artists but great human beings and great parents,” she added.
She specially praised the singing of Rubina Qureshi saying her sound possessed a magical charm and that it enchanted the listeners. She recalled how Rubina’s songs had influenced the people during the Indo-Pak war of 1965.
Speaking on the occasion, Rubina Qureshi mentioned that thousands of her songs which were recorded on the tapes had been lost. Qureshi thanked the speakers for their high praises and for according the couple recognition for their contributions.
Former Director Radio Pakistan, Karachi, Imdad Khwaja said he had preserved over 1,000 songs of Qureshi in the Karachi and Khairpur radio stations. “I will retrieve the record from both the stations,” he assured.
Mustafa Qureshi while addressing the gathering appreciated the recognition the couple had been given. “Usually the artists or other people who contribute something to the society are honoured after their death. But for the two of us this event today is a flattering recognition,” he acknowledged.
Qureshi said that although he lives in Lahore, Punjab, but spiritually he always feels that he was in Sindh. The artists expressed their desire for the promotion of Sindhi cinema asking the provincial government to take steps to help the industry. Qureshi also appealed to Radio Pakistan to increase the amount of remuneration it pays to the artists. Director General Radio Pakistan Murtaza Solangi said he felt honoured to be speaking in the presence of two such artists whom he grew up watching on the cinema and listening to the songs.
Writer Sehar Imdad, Regional Director Radio Pakistan Hyderabad Naseer Mirza and others also spoke on the occasion. Mirza informed that Rubina has sung over 10,000 songs but a large number of them which were recorded on the old tapes had been lost.
He added that Rubina besides singing in the Pakistani languages had also performed in Turkey, Indonesia and China where she sang in their local languages.
The Radio Pakistan on the occasion awarded the two artists life time achievement awards and pride of performances award.
