LAHORE :The 11th meeting of the ongoing session of Halqa Arbab-e-Zaoq Lahore was held at the Pak Tea House under the presidency of Hameed Razi. This special session, titled “Punjabi Kahaniyan Di Shaam” (An Evening of Punjabi Stories), was a tribute to Shafqat Tanvir Mirza, Muhammad Asif Khan, and Farkhanda Lodhi.
Joint Secretary Shahzad Framosh read the minutes of the previous meeting. Stories were read by Ejaz, Ali Usman Bajwa, Muhammad Jawad, and Hameed Razi.
Saeed Khawar Bhutta spoke at length about the aforementioned literary personalities. He shared that Safdar Mir was the one who brought Asif Khan into the Punjabi Majlis. Asif Khan also ran the Punjabi Adabi Board as well as the quarterly journal “Punjabi Adab”. His monumental achievement remains his book, “Punjabi Boli Da Pichokar” (The Background of the Punjabi Language).
He further highlighted that Shafqat Tanvir Mirza was a trendsetter who worked for prestigious newspapers such as Hilal, Nawa-i-Waqt, Civil and Military Gazette, Imroze, Pakistan Times, Frontier Post, Viewpoint, and Dawn. He noted that if a Punjabi language session is being held in the Halqa today, it is due to his pioneering efforts.
Speaking on Farkhunda Lodhi, he mentioned that she served as the Chief Librarian at Government College. He recalled how Afzal Tauseef, Farkhunda Lodhi, and Parveen Malik used to participate enthusiastically in Punjabi language events and movements.
In his presidential address, Hameed Razi appreciated all the recited stories and suggested that Saeed Bhutta should pen down his memoirs. He remarked that writing in the Punjabi language is, in itself, a form of active resistance.
At the conclusion of the session, Halqa Secretary Aftab Javed thanked the president, the guests, and the attendees. Around 90 people attended the meeting.
Reported By: Shahzad Framosh I Lahore
