Islamabad:A special commemorative postage stamp marking the completion of 50 years of the Pakistan Academy of Letters (PAL) was unveiled at a ceremony held on Tuesday. The event took place at the Sheikh Ayaz Conference Hall of PAL. Federal Minister for National Heritage and Culture Division, Aurangzeb Khan Khichi, was the chief guest at the event.
He formally unveiled the stamp alongside prominent literary figures from Rawalpindi and Islamabad. The ceremony was attended by PAL’s Chairperson Prof Dr Najeeba Arif, former heads of the academy Iftikhar Arif, Abdul Hameed, Prof Dr Muhammad Qasim Bughio and Prof Dr Inam-ul-Haq Javed, as well as a large number of writers, poets, intellectuals and members of the literary community.
The event began with the recitation of the Holy Quran, followed by a naat presented by renowned naat reciter Aqdas Hashmi and the national anthem. A brief but dignified session was later held in which former academy heads and distinguished guests shared their views on the institution’s literary contributions.
In her welcome address, Prof Dr Najeeba Arif reviewed the academy’s five-decade journey and highlighted its role in promoting national languages and Pakistani literature. She paid tribute to the services of former heads of the institution and emphasized that literature serves as an effective means of fostering national unity, intellectual harmony and cultural connectivity.
