No travel documents, Pak writers to miss mushaira meet in city

Ludhiana: As the India and Pakistan cricket teams were battling it out at Eden Gardens, a group of writers and poets could not come to the city for a literary meet due to various reasons. Two of the three literary figures from Pakistan were to receive Sahir Awards as well, for their contribution to the Urdu language in a Jashn-e-Sahir International Mushaira held on Saturday, but failed to do so, as they could not get the requisite papers for travelling to this side.
Confirming the development, Kewal Dheer, chairman, Adeeb International (Sahir Cultural Academy), who is one of the organizers of the international mushaira, said of the three Pakistani poets and writers invited for the event -- Sughra Sadaf, director of arts in Punjab; Qasim Bughio, chairman, Pakistan Academy of Letters; and Bushra Ajaz, novelist from Lahore -- none are coming.He added that two of those invitees -- Sadaf and Bughio -- were to be presented with Sahir/Adeeb awards. "Whereas Sughra and Qasim couldn't get the 'No Objection' certificate from the Pakistan government, Bushra couldn't come as she didn't get a visa. The good news is that Farhat Shahzad from USA (who originally belongs to Pakistan) is coming to receive his award, and so is Manjari, a south Indian ghazal singer arriving in the city," said one of the organizers.
The organizers said that Sahir/Adeeb awards are presented every year to distinguished personalities in recognition of their distincly qualitative service and contribution to the Urdu language, literature and arts; and promotion of fraternal bonds, human dignity, and peace through their input. They added that during the previous years, this award had been conferred upon persons like Qateel Shifai, Ahmad Faraz, Ali Sardar Jafri, Javed Akhtar, Kaifi Azmi, Sunil Dutt, Sharmila Tagore, Shabana Azmi, Raj Babbar, Hans Raj Hans, and many others.
Dheer said this year, the event was dedicated to Late OP Munjal, who was founder-patron of the organization and a noble person with high taste for Urdu poetry. He added that apart from the presentation of the Sahir Awards, an Indo-Pak peace calendar was released, and an international mushaira was also held. The event was held on Saturday evening in the auditorium of Nehru Sidhant Kender.