Pakistan Academy of Letters (PAL) on Sunday organized a online seminar on the role of Pakistani women writers in fiction in connection to the Academy’s diamond jubilee celebrations.
The aim of the webinar was to celebrate the overwhelming response of female writers towards fiction writing which was earlier male dominated.
The webinar was presided by Urdu Fictionist Noorul Huda Shah from Karachi, whereas renowned writer Neelam Ahmed Bashir from Lahore was the chief guest.
The speakers expressed their views on diverse and multifaceted issues pertaining to fiction writing and highlighted the core issues focused by the modern writers in their pieces of writing.
Novel writer Shaista Mufti shed light on the topic of “Do women’s fiction meet the demands of the present age”. Afshan Abbasi presented her views on “Is Urdu Fiction Declining”, Najam Shamsi (USA) deliberated on “Why is the number of women novelists so low as compared to female poets”.
While Shamim Fazal Haq from Peshawar expressed her views on the topic of “Why is the canvas of women’s fiction not so wide”, where Tahira Iqbal (Faisalabad) on “What are the common values in the myths of women from different regions” and Dr. Shamim Ansari (Karachi) presented articles on “What has changed in the writings of women fiction writers after independence and why”.
Moreover, a literary debate (Muzakira) was also held participated by Aqila Haq (Karachi), Saima Nafees (Peshawar), Hijab Abbasi (Karachi), Gul Arbab (Peshawar) and Farheen Jamal (Belgium)where Farheen Chaudhry was the moderator. The event was organized in collaboration with the Literary and Cultural Organization Literary Arts and Cultural Syndicate.