Historic 8th Seraiki Mushaira held in Multan

The News.

Riaz Chaudhry

MULTAN: Javed Hashmi MNA, senior vice-president PML-N, has said the Seraiki belt is a region of love and peace and it will not be allowed to become an island of hatred.

Speaking at an 8th Seraiki Mushaira here jointly arranged by Punjab Arts Council, Hafeez Ghee Mills, Food Festival and Daily Khabrain, he said had four or five generals born in Multan region the destiny of the region could have changed.

Prominent among those who participated as guest of honour at the Mushaira were Syed Wajid Ali Shah, acting district nazim, Ghulam Mustafa, executive director Punjab Arts Council, Kh. Mueen-ud-Deen Mahboob Koreja, Sajjada Nasheen Darbar Khawaja Ghulam Farid, Shaukat Hayat Awan, nazim Bosan Town Multan, Jamil Ahmad, nazim Mumtazabad Town, Multan, Deewan Syed Muzaffar Hussain Bukhari, nazim Jalalpur Pirwala, Syed Ali Raza Gardezi, chairman Al-Qaim Organisation and Rifat Abbas and others while Prof Shaukat Mughal, a prominent linguist, presided over the Mushaira. Javed Hashmi was the chief guest.

More than 80 popular Seraiki poets recited their poems, including Shakir Shujabadi, Ahmad Khan Tariq, Iqbal Sokri, Aziz Shahid, Ashiq Gulzar, Iqbal Hassan Bhela, Riffat Abbas, Waseem Mumtaz, Prof Shamim Arif Quraishi, Riaz Bakri, Mahboob Tabish and others. The speakers and participants paid glowing tributes to the Editor-in-chief of Khabrain Group of Newspapers.

Zia Shahid, Editor-in-Chief Khabrain Group of Newspapers in his special message on the occasion regretted that he could not participate in the historic Seraiki Mushaira due to his engagements in Lahore.

The poets in their poems mentioned the deprivations, backwardness and other problems faced by the people of Seraiki belt. They were also critical of the negligence of the people of area while some of the poets were also critical of the rulers and the present coalition government. Similarly, some poets also condemned the growing American interference in the internal affairs of the country, western culture, vulgarity and indecency.