Minister seeks literary community’s input to strengthen literary activities, writers’ welfare

ISLAMABAD, Nov 03 (APP): Federal Minister for National Heritage and Culture Division Aurangzeb Khan Khichi on Tuesday held a consultative meeting with a representative delegation of prominent poets, writers, intellectuals and literary figures from Rawalpindi and Islamabad to seek their proposals for promoting literary activities and improving the welfare of the literary community.

The meeting was held at the committee room of the Pakistan Academy of Letters (PAL), Islamabad, where the minister invited suggestions on the academy’s literary and intellectual contributions, future priorities and practical measures to promote Urdu and literature in all regional and national languages of Pakistan.

The participating writers and poets appreciated the academy’s performance and presented various proposals to further expand its activities and strengthen its role in supporting the literary community.

Their suggestions included expanding the scope of literary programmes, encouraging young and emerging writers, facilitating book publications, organising literary events and seminars, promoting regional language literature and improving welfare facilities for writers.

The participants also proposed improving the Writers’ House and establishing a literary café to provide writers and intellectuals with a dedicated space for interaction and creative engagement.
The minister listened to the suggestions and views of the participants individually and appreciated their valuable input, describing writers and poets as an important intellectual, cultural and civilisational asset of society.
He said the Pakistan Academy of Letters was not merely a government institution but a common platform and home for writers, poets, intellectuals and literary figures from across the country, whose creative contributions and intellectual services gave it its identity and vitality.
He observed that literary works not only preserved the identity, history and cultural heritage of nations but also promoted awareness, tolerance, dialogue and positive intellectual trends in society.
The minister emphasised the need to provide writers and poets with due respect, dignity and opportunities, along with a conducive environment to express their creative abilities.
He assured the delegation that practical proposals put forward during the meeting would be examined and that consultation with the literary community would be given special importance in shaping the academy’s future policies and improving its performance.
He reiterated that the academy’s doors remained open to all writers, poets and literary figures, adding that their participation in institutional policymaking would be encouraged to strengthen its role in the country’s literary and cultural landscape.
The delegation included prominent literary figures Ali Akbar Abbas, Ayesha Masood, Zaheer Gilani, Khurram Khaliq, Kashif Irfan, Rafiuddin Siddiqui, Professor Nargis Iftikhar, Mubashir Saleem, Nusrat Yab Khan Nusrat, Afshan Abbasi, Dr Farhat Abbas and Dr Muhammad Saleem Mazhar, among others.
PAL officials Mir Nawaz Solangi, Akhtar Raza Saleemi and Ali Irfan, along with other staff members, also attended the meeting.
At the conclusion, the participants appreciated the minister’s initiative to engage the literary community directly and expressed hope that their recommendations would contribute to strengthening the academy’s literary and intellectual activities.