KARACHI: Urdu literary conference organised by Arts Council of Pakistan will begin tomorrow from December 1, Ahmed Shah, Secretary General of the council said on Tuesday.
No Indian writers and poets are participating in the ninth edition of the four-day international conference this year.
“Non-availability of Indian writers and poets is because of the rising tensions on the Pakistan-India border,” Shah said, adding that they will not be seen reading their papers or taking part in different sessions as panelists.
However, Shah said that he did not believe in dividing literature on the basis of religion.
“Indian writers (Gulzar, Gopichand Narang etc) had contributed substantially to Urdu literature but, these days, Indian writers were afraid of visiting Pakistan fearing they’d be treated badly on their return to India.”
“We are trying to connect some of the writers via video or audio link,” he added.
Mr Shah said Urdu scholar from countries such as the United States, Germany, Denmark, the United Kingdom, Finland and Egypt would participate in the conference. From within Pakistan, he said, almost all renowned writers and poets had been invited.
