First Punjabi National Conference 2009 Lahore Pakistan - Press Report and Photos

LAHORE, Aug 8: The first Punjabi National Conference here on Saturday opposed the division of Punjab.

The conference, organised by the Academy for the Promotion of Punjabi Language, Literature, Art and Culture with Chauhdry Nazeer Kahut in the chair at Alhamra Art Centre, rejected the division of the province at any level, be it administrative, racial or lingual. It demanded that Punjabi should be adopted as the basic medium of instruction in the province and made the official language in all spheres.

The conference noted that Pakistan was passing through the most crucial phase of its history. It should do away with feudalism and distribute lands among tenets and landless farmers. The revenue generated by export and import of goods from Punjab should be spent on the development of undeveloped districts of the province. The Karachi Cotton Exchange should be shifted to Multan and renamed as Multan cotton exchange.

The conference said that non-Punjabis holding posts on Punjab’s quota in the federal government should be removed and these jobs should be given to the unemployed youth from underdeveloped districts of Dera Ghazi Khan, Bahawalpur, Multan, Mianwali and Jhang. It supported provinces’ demand for autonomy and condemned the atrocities being committed against Baloch people. It recognised Baloch people’s right to the natural resources of Balochistan and called for an end to the military operation in the province and recovery of the missing people. It said target killings of Punjabis in Balochistan should stop.

The conference demanded that the federal government set up universities of all languages on the pattern of the Federal Urdu University. It said federal grants for the Punjabi Adabi Board, Balochi Academy and Pushto Academy should be raised and made equal to that of the Sindhi Adabi Board’s. It should be made compulsory for the provinces to allocate one per cent of their budgets for these literary institutions. Government advertisements should be given to the print and electronic media in regional languages. The conference condemned the atrocities being perpetrated against minorities and demanded that life and property of the minorities should be protected.

It demanded that the Punjab Directorate General of Public Relations should start a newspaper in Punjabi language in the province.

Conference says feudalism be abolished, land distributed among landless farmers

Staff Report

LAHORE: The first Punjabi National Conference (PNC) has demanded to halt the ongoing military operation in Balochistan and to declare all ethnic languages across the country national languages through a constitutional amendment.

The PNC demanded that the laws, which fanned extremism, should be reviewed in national interest.

The conference held under the auspices of the Academy for the Promotion of Punjabi Language, Literature, Art and Culture (APPLLAC) and hosted by Chaudhry Nazeer Kahut at the Alhamra Arts Council unanimously adopted a resolution stating that the federation should remain intact. It said Punjab is characterised by its historical, cultural, economic and geographical identity. The PNC rejected any division of the province, be it administrative, racial, linguistic or other. It demanded that Punjabi should be adopted as the basic medium of instruction in the province and it should be made the official language.

Abolish feudalism: The conference concluded that feudalism should be abolished in Pakistan and all land should be distributed among the tenants and landless farmers. The participants said the revenue generated by the exports from Punjab was the province’s due right and should be spent on the development of the underdeveloped districts of the province.

The PNC demanded that the Karachi Cotton Exchange should be shifted to Multan and be renamed Multan Cotton Exchange. The non-Punjabis holding posts on Punjab’s quota in the federal government departments should be removed and these jobs be given to the unemployed youth from the underdeveloped districts of DG Khan, Bahawalpur, Multan, Mianwali and Jhang. Otherwise, these federal departments should be shifted back to Islamabad.

The PNC fully supported demands of provincial autonomy by other provinces. The conference strongly condemned the atrocities being committed against the Baloch. The PNC endorsed the Baloch people’s rights over the natural resources of Balochistan. The military operation in Balochistan should be stopped and the missing political leaders and workers are recovered forthwith, it said. Target killings of Punjabi inhabitants and Punjabi teachers in Balochistan should come to an immediate end, it demanded. The federal government should set up universities of all ethnic languages on the pattern of the Federal Urdu University, the conference said.

The PNC demanded that power distribution should be made a provincial subject and each province should pay its revenue according to its capacity. The PNC demanded an increase in the federal government’s grants for the Punjabi Adabi Board, the Balochi Academy and the Pushto Academy. Government advertisements should be distributed to the print and electronic media in their mother languages on priority basis, it said.

The PNC condemned atrocities against minorities and said the life and property of the minorities should be protected according to the constitution. The Punjab Directorate General of Public Relations should launch a Punjabi newspaper in the province, it said.

Daily Times: Monday, August 10, 2009

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Fakhar calls for an immediate end to the feudalism to save Punjab from disintegration

Fakhar Zaman addressing the first Punjabi National Conference 2009: Photo by: Khalid Nazir

Lahore—Chairman Academy of Letters Fakhar Zaman has said that the issue of division of Punjab was created by those who first started to make hue and cry about the presence of Taliban in the Southern Punjab and then they began discussing about the Punjab’s division after the Taliban bubble was burst.

He said this while speaking at the first Punjabi National Conference organised by Chaudhry Nazeer Kahut, Chairman of Academy for the Promotion of Punjabi Language, Literature, Art and Culture.

Zaman was of the view that among others, literary figures Shafqat Tanvir Mirza, Dr. Akhtar Hussain Akhtar, Jameel Ahmad Paul, Iqbal Qaisar, Prof Rashid Hassan Rana, Afzal Tauseef, Ashfaq Nabir, Dr. Tahir Kamran, Dr. Abbas Najmi, Parveen Malik, Abad Nabeel Shad and Shahida Dilawar addressed the moot.

Fakhar Zaman said that nationalists had rejected the proposed division of Punjab. However, he said that Mumtaz Bhuttto, Qadir Magsi, Rasool Bux Paleejo and politicians from Punjab should sit together and ponder over the issue. He added that an academic and intellectual movement should be launched to thwart the evil designs of the vested interests behind the whole episode.

He said poverty and illiteracy were the main issues the people of the Southern Punjab were facing. He said feudalism should come to an immediate end to save Punjab from disintegration.

Zaman said that Punjab would not disintegrate, as people behind this sinister drive had lost their credentials.

APPLLAC Chairman Nazeer Kahut said people of Punjab should rise to the occasion and thwart all the conspiracies against their homeland. He said problems of Southern Punjab’s people should be addressed properly to counter the campaign.

He warned that the country would head towards a civil war if the situation was not handled wisely. He demanded that Punjabi should be adopted as the official language of the province.

Dr. Tahir Kamran said decentralization of powers; giving provincial autonomy to the provinces according to the 1973 Constitution and strengthening of democracy were the only answer to the problems facing the country.

Shafqat Tanvir Mirza, Akhtar Hussain Akhtar, Jamil Ahmad Paul, Afzal Tauseef, Ashfaq Nabir, Dr. Abbas Najmi and Parveen Malik said that people of Punjab should be aware themselves of their rights and struggle to protect themselves from the vested interests. They said lack of education, poverty; ignorance water crisis; hunger and disease were the real problems confronting the people of southern Punjab.

The moot adopted 16 resolutions which rejected the division of any province and called for the integrity of the federation and its units.

Shafqat Tanvir Mirza addressing the first Punjabi National Conference: Photo by: Khalid Nazir

Lahore: Division of Punjab was not the solution of all the problems confronted to the people of southern Punjab. The rulers including the representatives of the Punjab should erect hospitals, standardrised schools, colleges and universities and besides providing other facilities to the South Punjab.

These views were expressed by the speakers on the first Punjabi Qaumi Conference held at Alhamra Arts council here on Saturday. The conference was presided over by the Chairman Pakistan Academy of Letters Fakhar Zaman while organised by the Academy for the promotion of Punjabi Language, Literature, Arts and Culture.

The prominent speakers included Shafqat Tanvir Mirza, Dr. Tahir Kamran, Chaudhry Nazeer Kahut, Afzal Tauseef, Parveen Malik, Dr. Akhtar Hussain Akhtar, Jameel Ahmad Paul, Iqbal Kaiser, Prof. Rashid Hassan Rana, Dr. Abbas Najmi, Ebad Nabeel Shad, Muddassar Iqbal Butt and Ashfaq Nabir.

Speaking on the topic “Integrity of Punjab” Fakhar Zaman Said the government was planning to launch various projects for the prosperity of southern Punjab. He further said the people of Punjab should unite to defend the integrity of our motherland Punjab. Our destiny is people’s enlightened and intact Punjab that speaks the language of Bullah and Fareed as the Sufism can uproot darkness, intolerance, injustice, tyranny, and all kinds of exploitation and terrorism, he added.

Shafqat Tanvir Mirza said pioneer of Pakistan and valiant leader, Quaid-e-Azam said Urdu would be national language of Pakistan but all the provinces were free in choosing their language. He said Ahmad Nadeem Qasmi and Lutf Ali Bahawalpuri also loved local languages and stressed that these should be included in the educational policy.

He said symbolically the feudalism was the main hurdle in the way of progress in the southern Punjab.

Dr. Tahir Kamran said that on the occasion that the division of Punjab will destabilise the state. The centralism being perpetually depriving of the provinces from their fundamental rights as it fixes levy on the far flung areas without any logic, he maintained.

Director Punjab complex Dr. Abbas Najmi Said now PML-N senior leader Makhdoom Javed Hashmi, former information minister Muhammad Ali Durrani, Finance Minister Shoukat Tareen and all the PPP representatives belonged to southern Punjab were demanding for separate province to the government should take it serious.

The renowned Punjabi literary personalities including poets, novelists, critics, educationists, journalists and expert participated in the conference.

The Nation: Staff Report: Sunday,August 9,2009

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Chaudhry Nazeer Kahut: The founder chairman of Punjabi National Conference (PNC) is delivering his key note address at the inauguration of the first Punjabi National conference (Photo by: Khalid Nazir)

Punjabi National Conference’s Founder Chairman Chaudhry Nazeer Kahut has asked the people of Punjab to rise to the occasion and thwart all the conspiracies against their motherland.

Delivering his key note address at the inauguration of the first Punjabi National conference He said problems of Southern Punjab’s people should be addressed properly to counter the campaign. South Punjab will never prosper in the presence of its imperialists remnant’s the feudal lord’s. The feudalism is the mother of all the evils in south Punjab that must be abolished if we are sincere to our people.

Nazeer Kahut opposed the demand for more provinces and warned that Seraiki province will prove to be a black hole for other provinces and will give birth to a Mohajir Province in Sindh ,Pushtoon province in Balochistan and four provinces in NWFP. Kahut Warned that Seraiki province will deprive Punjab of its ancient identity ,historic existence, language, literature, art, culture, civilization, sources, area and Population. Similarly a Mohajir province in Sindh will prove to be another Bangladesh and a Pushtoon province in Balochistan will prove to be another Rwanda.

If Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan were divided on ethnic, linguistic or administrative lines the native Sindhis, Balochis and Punjabis will turn in to minorities and red Indians in the hands of the alien’s, occupant’s, infiltrators, exploiter’s and terrorist’s, he claimed. He said people of Punjab recognized the right of Sindh and Balochistan on their resources and the federation should stop exploiting them.

Kahut condemned the atrocities being committed against Baloch people. And said people of Punjab recognised Baloch people’s right to the natural resources of Balochistan and called for an end to the military operation in the province and recovery of the missing people. He appealed to the Baloch leadership and people of Balochistan to help protect and stop target killings of Punjabis in Balochistan. And said like always the doors of Punjab are open for Baloch.

He rejected the division of Punjab at any level, be it administrative, racial or lingual and warned that the country would head towards a civil war if the situation was not handled wisely. He opposed the construction of Kalabagh Dam if it were without the consent of Sindh and demanded that Punjabi should be adopted as the medium of instruction and official language of the province. And Sindhi, Balochi, Pushto and Punjabi be declared the National languages through a constitutional amendment.

(Excerpt from Nazeer Kahut’s Speech delivered at the First Punjabi National Conference-2009.held at Alhamra Arts Council Lahore on Saturday,8 August ,2009)

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First Punjabi National Conference 2009 participants:From rgith Dr.Akhtar Hussain Akhtar,Dr.,Tahir Kamran,Shafqat Tanvir Mirza,AFzal Tauseef,Perveen Malik,Nazeer Kahut,Ashfaque Nabar,Prof:Saadat Ali Saqib:Photo by:Khalid Nazir

Shafaqt Tanvir Mirza,Fakhar Zaman,Nazeer Kahut and Ashfaque Nabar at the centre stage of First Punjabi National Conference held at Alhamra Arts Council Lahore on August 8,2009