BAHAWALPUR, Oct 26 (ABC): Khawaja Farid Chair, the Islamia University of Bahawalpur on Wednesday organized a national conference on the theme of “Oneness of Being” to convey the messages of the great Sufi poet Hazrat Khawaja Ghulam Farid (R.A.) to the new generation at Baghdad ul Jadeed Campus. Addressing the seminar, Vice Chancellor IUB Engr. Prof. Dr Athar Mahboob said that in the last two years, national conferences, seminars, meetings, and Kaafi nights were being organized under the auspices of the IUB Khawaja Farid Chair. He said that he had the privilege of activating the Khawaja Farid Chair at the university and now the Khawaja Farid Chair Management Committee was highlighting the messages of the great Sufi poet at the national and international forums. The work of “promoting Farid’s thought and philosophy and enlightening the young generation is flourishing”, he added.
The Vice-Chancellor also announced to name of the Main Auditorium of the Islamia University of Bahawalpur as Khawaja Ghulam Farid Auditorium. He termed it an honor to have gotten the opportunity to head the Islamia University of Bahawalpur. Similarly, he got the honor of being the founder and Vice-Chancellor of Khawaja Ghulam Farid Engineering and Technology University Rahim Yar Khan, attributed to the great Sufi poet of the world, Hazrat Khawaja Ghulam Farid. Sajjada Nashin Durbar-e-Farid Khawaja Moinuddin Mehboob Koreija in his address said “we are believers in one God, one Messenger, and one Quran”.
He said that the IUB’s efforts to spread the teachings of Sufi poets were highly commendable and could be emulated by other universities. Mehboob Koreija congratulated Dr Athar Mahboob and Honorary Director Khawaja Farid Chair for organizing the conference and requested to keep spreading the message of love and human respect. Sahibzada Sultan Ahmad Ali discussed in detail Allama Iqbal’s poetry on the subject of Ishq-e-Rasool, Sufism, revelation, and inspiration. Director General Information Broadcasting and author of many books on the subject of Khawaja Ghulam Farid, Saeed Ahmed Sheikh said that Khawaja Ghulam Farid’s poetry was “still ruling hearts and there was an urgent need for this message to be spread”.
Honorary Director Khawaja Farid Chair Rawal Moin Koreja said that the IUB Khawaja Farid Chair was not only organizing conferences and seminars, but the publication of books regarding the teachings of Khawaja Ghulam Farid had also started. And in today’s ceremony, books of members of Khawaja Farid Chair Dr. Ismatullah Shah’s thematic selection of Kalam-e Farid under the name of Rang-e-Farid a book based on the biographical sketch of Khawaja Farid written by Mujahid Jatoi were being launched. Apart from this, work on a special documentary film and many other projects are going to start. Prof. Dr. Javed Hassan Chandio, Dean Faculty of Arts and Languages, Dr. Mahar Khadim Hussain, Director Sachal Chair Shah Latif University Khairpur, Dr. Ismatullah Shah, Member Khawaja Farid Chair, Mujahid Jatoi Maher-e-Faridyat, and other notable personalities also addressed the ceremony. Earlier in the Kaafi Night, Khawaja Farid Chair presented the great singer of the region, Surraiya Multanikar (Sitara-e-Imtiaz and Pride of Performance) a Life Time Achievement Award. On this occasion, her daughter Rahat Multanikar sang songs of Khawaja Ghulam Farid Kaafis. Vice Chancellor Engr. Prof. Dr. Athar Mahboob, Khawaja Moinuddin Mehboob Koreja, and Khawaja Rawal Moin Koreja presented Lifetime Achievement Award to Surraiya Multanikar. Deputy Commissioner Bahawalpur Zahid Parvaiz Warraich, Additional Commissioner Faisal Atta, Syed Tabish Alwari, dignitaries, teachers, and students participated in the Khawaja Farid conference and in Mehfil-e-Kafi in large numbers.