Islamabad: Speakers highlighted the importance of promoting and preserving the legacy of Urdu journalism in the current era of media transformation. They expressed these views at the second International Urdu Journalism Conference under the theme of '75 years of Urdu Journalism' organized by the National Language Promotion Department on Wednesday.

Urdu lovers and journalists from all over the country, as well as those based abroad, participated in the Conference and had an extensive discussion on the challenges faced by Urdu journalism and the way forward. The conference was inaugurated by the Adviser to the Prime Minister for National Heritage and Culture Division, Engineer Amir Muqam. The adviser also inaugurated the three-day book fair, thrand ee software developed by the National Linguistic Processing Laboratory: Automatic Urdu Translation Machine (Translation Machine), Visual Orthography (OCR) and Alpha Version of Speech Recognition.

In the opening ceremony, Federal Secretary Farina Mazhar, Iftikhar Arif, Mujib ur Rahman Shami, Hafeez Ullah Niazi, Ashfaq Hussain (Canada), and Director General Dr. Rashid Hameed also shared their thoughts.

The Conference consisted of three sessions. The second session was chaired by senior Journalist Mohammad Nawaz Raza. Among the special guests were Hafiz Tahir Khalil, Tazeen Akhtar, and Rubab Ayesha. Senior journalist Hanif Khalid presided over the closing session. The special guests included Dr. Farooq Adil, President of Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists Afzal Butt, senior journalist Rukhsana Solat, Imrana Komal, Aziz Alvi, Namud Muslim, Bena Guindi (USA), Azhar Saleem Majuka, Shafiq Murad (Germany) and Mazhar Shehzad.

Speaking on this occasion, Amir Muqam said that the media plays a critical role in highlighting the issues. He said that Urdu journalists have made great sacrifices in Tehreek-e-Pakistan. "The present government is determined to make Urdu the official language and all possible steps are being taken for this," he said adding that the National Linguistic Processing Laboratory software would play an important role in making the national language (Urdu) the technical language of computers. The PM Advisor said that the importance of the book cannot be denied.

Earlier, Federal Secretary Farina Mazhar said that Urdu journalism has not only raised awareness in the nation, but Urdu has played a great role in the academic and literary field in national affairs. Dr. Rashid Hameed, Director General while giving introductory remarks, referring to the National Linguistic Processing Laboratory, said that there has been a revolution in artificial intelligence in the world at this time. "A language that does not use modern methods could not survive."

Iftikhar Arif said that there are more than 100 Urdu channels but none of the English channels have been successful. "At the time of the establishment of Pakistan, Urdu journalism was a movement that later turned into an industry. Journalism has done a great favor to the Urdu language," he said adding that Machine Translation Linguistic Lab is a revolutionary step due to which Urdu would join the ranks of modern languages.

Mujeeb ur Rahman Shami said that Urdu journalism is a sign of the great struggle of Muslims. "Urdu journalism has a two hundred years' history. Urdu has the distinction of being spoken and understood from Torkham to Larkana. At this time, the protection of Urdu language and journalism is very important," he said

Hafeez Ullah Niazi said that due to the ill-treatment of Urdu, there was a deterioration. At the time of Maulana Zafar Ali Khan, Shorash Kashmiri, and other intellectuals, journalism was the spice of literature.

Presiding over the second session, senior journalist Nawaz Raza talked about the impact of social media on Urdu journalism and overall professionalism in the media. He stressed re-establishing a strong institution of editors to ensure journalistic standards. He said that both visible and invisible censorship is condemnable but the journalist community also needs to look into corruption and malpractices within the media industry.

Senior journalist Hanif Khalid appreciated the effort of the National Language Promotion Department to bring together journalists, academicians, and decision-makers on this critical subject. He recalled the history of the Urdu newspaper Jung to describe the history and journey of Urdu journalism in Pakistan. He said that Urdu journalism played a pivotal role in the Pakistan movement and still, the majority of people refer to Urdu newspapers as their basic source of information.

President of Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists Afzal Butt highlighted the financial issues faced by journalists. Considering the rapid transformation happening in media, he stressed the need to call another conference to devise a strategy for saving Urdu journalism.

Other Sources: The Nation

Source: The News