Country needs positive promotion through media

LAHORE: Media has a very important role to play in shaping a country’s image and in the current circumstances, our country direly needs positive promotion, said Shehryar Taseer, while speaking at the All Punjab Literary Conference 2011 held at the Alhamra Arts Council on Monday.The literary evening was held in remembrance of the renowned poet Dr Ayub Mirza whose son Dr Amjad Ayub currently runs a foundation by his name, titled Dr Ayub Mirza Foundation.The event was hosted by poetess Syeda Fatima Ghazal and Aizaz Ahmed whose witty remarks made the event more interesting. The conference kicked off with the poetry of late Dr Ayub with live violin playing in the background. The onstage music had a soothing affect on the audience who were seen writing verses of the poetry being recited by the speakers.

Shehryar Taseer, who was also the chief guest of the event, said during his speech that the literary society of any country was the intellectual elite and it should be appreciated for its contributions. He further talked about the media developments in the country over the past decade. He said that the media played a crucial role in putting across a good image of a country.Taseer said that India was in the list of top ten places where frequent bomb blasts take place and yet their media always portrayed a shiny picture of their country. He said that international channels even hesitated in showing injured sportsmen to avoid traumatic stress to their families and in this regard, the style of our news channels is below satisfactory. He said that our news channels should act responsibly and promote a positive image of the country.

The young businessman said that our heroes, whether they are political or from the fraternity of sports, should be highlighted and endorsed.Separately, Dr Amjad while talking about his father, said that his father was in the UK when the great poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz told him that the people of his own country needed him more than the Britains. “And my father immediately came back to Pakistan as he respected Faiz Saab very much. He loved Faiz very much and after his (Faiz) death, I often saw my father crying while reminiscing the time he had spent with Faiz,” he said.While addressing the audience, Dr Ravish Nadeem said that moderate people who want to bring a positive change in society are often targeted. He said that Salmaan Taseer was a brave man and wanted to play his part in changing society and hence was removed from the scene.Dr Solat Nagi, Salima Hashmi, and IA Rehman also spoke on the occasion, paying their respects to the late poet and analysing the current era’s literary developments. – Dailytimes