KARACHI: On the second day of the four-day “18th World Urdu Conference- 2025 titled “ Celebration of Pakistan” organized by the Arts Council of Pakistan, Karachi, 17 sessions were held, including science and literature, fine arts and international poetry. The second day of the conference began with “Urdu Criticism and Research,” while other sessions were held on Urdu poetry, sacred literature, Saraiki literature and culture, Anwar Sun Rai, personality and creations, Hilal Naqvi and elegy writing and it is mandatory we will also see. Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Women, the journey of development, leadership and literature, children’s literature, Future Leaders in the Digital Era, Sindhi literature and culture, The role of traditional media in the digital age, Urdu masterpiece humor and the journey of TV. A large number of spectators attended “Meeting Bushra Ansari”. The second day of the Urdu conference, where 8 books were launched, ended with a “World Poetry Festival” in which poets won the hearts of the audience with their poetry. In the session “The role of traditional media in digital age” held on this occasion, Ghazi Salahuddin, Wasatullah Khan, Owais Towhid, Rifaat Saeed and Wasim Badami said in a discussion on the topic that traditional media was also a modern media at one time, many women are doing business with digital media. Do not be deceived that digital media is free, content can be removed from digital media, every new medium changes the world, and journalism is the name of the importance of language. AI is being used in all newsrooms, the revolution of digital media should not only be seen in a positive way but should also be adopted, the issue of Balochistan and the canal was raised on social media, the Palestinian people also showed their atrocities to the world through social media. The reality of digital media should be recognized, instead of criticizing social media, it is necessary to examine negative and positive content, I am not against digital media but we need to set our limits. If boundaries are not set, the problems will increase. 85 percent of content on digital media is based on lies, speakers at Future Leaders in Digital Era said that the concept of video on demand, especially the advent of YouTube, has completely changed the way content is produced and delivered. They said that although artificial intelligence (AI) can create images, it does not have the ability to understand human emotions and feelings. We tell the stories that the people around us want to hear, in the past wars were fought on the battlefields, while now wars are being fought on the screen, the digital era is a high example of democracy. The digital era provides a great opportunity for small artists who do not have access to big platforms. To pay tribute to the great women in Pakistan’s history, “Women: In the session titled “Journey of Progress, Leadership and Literature”, Uzmaul Karim recalled Benazir Bhutto, Fatima Jinnah and other great women and said that if we can raise our voices for our rights today, it is the result of the sacrifices of these great women. Mehtab Akbar Rashdi said that overall, there is an impression that men find it very painful that a woman is more intelligent and capable than them. B Gul said that women are cut off from their roots, our women are criticized even for their clothes. Haris Khaliq said that Fatima Jinnah was the person who started opposing dictatorship. An interesting session was held on “Meeting Bushra Ansari”, a famous Pakistani actress, in which she answered the questions asked by Yasir Hussain. Bushra Ansari said that nowadays people do not like to talk and listen to deep things, the director has to be very strict and I am not capable of that. She claimed to be a big fan of Madam Noor Jahan, adding that the late Zia Mohi Uddin used to ask her to sing, but she was very scared. “I had never imagined where Pakistan’s music is today. I am very sorry that PTV has a treasure trove of music but they could not play it like this.” On the strong demand of the audience, Bushra Ansari entertained the audience by singing various Urdu and Punjabi songs including Madam Noor Jahan. The second day of the Urdu conference ended with an international poetry competition presided over by Pirzada Qasim Raza Siddiqui, while Anwar Shoor, Farasat Rizvi, Shadab Ehsani, Asghar Nadeem Syed, Mir Ahmad Naveed, Rehana Roohi, Fazil Jamili, Ali Zariyon, Alauddin Khanzada, Kashif Hussain Ghair, Khalilullah Farooqi, Waheed Noor, Ghazal Ansari, Farzana Nina, Rehana Qamar, Saman Shah, Najma Usman, Bina Goindi, Khalid Moin, Kamran Nafees, Umair Najmi, Uzma June, Rahat Zahid, Shaista Mufti, Sabeen Saif, Hidayat Sair, Hina Ambreen, Nina Adil, Naeem Sameer, Abdul Rehman Momin presented their poetry. Shakeel Khan hosted the poetry competition. A large number of people attended the international poetry competition held at Jaun Elia Lawn and appreciated the poetry presented by the poets and applauded them.Usman, Bina Govindi, Khalid Moin, Kamran Nafees, Umair Najmi, Uzma Jaun, Rahat Zahid, Shaista Mufti, Sabeen Saif, Hidayat Sair, Hina Ambreen, Nina Adil, Naeem Sameer, Abdul Rehman Momin presented their poetry. The poetry competition was hosted by Shakeel Khan. A large number of people participated in the international poetry competition held at Jaun Elia Lawn and appreciated the poetry presented by the poets and applauded them.Usman, Bina Govindi, Khalid Moin, Kamran Nafees, Umair Najmi, Uzma Jaun, Rahat Zahid, Shaista Mufti, Sabeen Saif, Hidayat Sair, Hina Ambreen, Nina Adil, Naeem Sameer, Abdul Rehman Momin presented their poetry. The poetry competition was hosted by Shakeel Khan. A large number of people participated in the international poetry competition held at Jaun Elia Lawn and appreciated the poetry presented by the poets and applauded them. Meanwhile, on the first day of the four-day “18th Aalmi Urdu Conference 2025 – Jashan-e-Pakistan” the second session was held under the title “Jinnah aur Aaj ka Pakistan.” Renowned poet Iftikhar Arif, Javed Jabbar, Ghazi Salahuddin, and Suhail Warraich spoke on the topic, while Huma Baqai performed the duties of moderator. Renowned poet Iftikhar Arif said that, along with Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, many other personalities played an important role in the creation of Pakistan, but they are mentioned very little. He said that we suffered severe damage due to the Pakistan Studies curriculum, because many questions are arising today since facts were neither written nor conveyed properly in the past. Quaid-e-Azam had a clear stance regarding language, but unfortunately, hatred was instilled in our society. Every country requires a link language, and in Pakistan, this role is played by Urdu. Ghazi Salahuddin said that Jinnah’s Pakistan and today’s Pakistan are not the same but are two different realities. Quaid-e-Azam gave the message of unity, faith, and discipline. In the speech of August 11, 1947, it was clearly declared that all citizens are free. He questioned whether we truly are the Pakistan envisioned by Quaid-e-Azam. He said that Quaid-e-Azam’s concept of Pakistan was altered over time due to political interests. Unfortunately, we neither want to read history, nor listen to it, nor learn lessons from it. Journalist Suhail Warraich said that among the Muslims of the Subcontinent, Sir Syed Ahmad Khan placed the greatest emphasis on education, but due to the conditions of that era, he could not openly speak about women’s education. In contrast, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah was a supporter of Muslim women’s education and rights from the very beginning. Fatima Jinnah was the first Muslim woman of the Subcontinent for whom Quaid-e-Azam personally established a private dental clinic. Quaid-e-Azam always spoke for women’s freedom and equality. Today, Quaid-e-Azam’s birth anniversary and Christmas are being observed together. One hundred and eighteen years ago, the British government made promises of self-governance and democracy in the Subcontinent. There was also a time when strict restrictions were imposed on the media. He said that the wheel of history should move forward, not backwards. Javed Jabbar said that Muslim nationhood did not end in 1971 but is still alive today. He said that Pakistan is currently facing severe challenges and that our electoral system has become extremely weak. Today’s world and today’s Pakistan are standing in completely different circumstances. To end the existing contradictions with our neighbouring country, we will have to engage in serious, strong, and responsible dialogue. He said that every citizen has the right to criticism, but baseless criticism of state institutions and the armed forces of Pakistan is unacceptable under any circumstances. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025