Pakistan Academy of Letters (PAL), under the National Heritage & Culture Division, organized a ceremony to launch the Urdu translation of Prison Diary, the poetic work of Ho Chi Minh, the renowned Vietnamese revolutionary leader, poet, and founder of modern Vietnam. The ceremony was held at the Sheikh Ayaz Conference Hall, Pakistan Academy of Letters, Islamabad. The ceremony was attended by diplomatic representatives of various ASEAN countries, along with writers, intellectuals, and literary figures.
Ambassador of Thailand Rongvudhi Virabutr, High Commissioner of Malaysia Dato Muhammad Azhar Mazlan, High Commissioner of Brunei Darussalam Colonel (Retd.) Pengiran Haji Kamal Bashah Pengiran Haji Ahmad, Ambassador of Cuba Damian Cordero Torres, Chargé d’Affaires of Indonesia Rahmat Hindiarta, and Chargé d’Affaires of Myanmar were among the distinguished guests. The ceremony was moderated by Dr. Hamza Hassan Sheikh. Chairperson of the Pakistan Academy of Letters, Prof. Dr. Najeeba Arif, welcomed the distinguished guests and diplomatic representatives and said that Prison Diary is not merely an account of a revolutionary leader, but also a poetic expression of human freedom, hope, courage, and determination. She said that the Urdu translation of the book had been undertaken under the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the Pakistan Academy of Letters and Vietnam, which represents an important milestone in promoting literary and cultural cooperation between the two countries. She also expressed her resolve to further strengthen literary ties with ASEAN countries.
At the conclusion of her address, Dr. Najeeba Arif led a Fatiha for the renowned writer, poet, and intellectual Haleem Qureshi, who passed away during a ceremony at the Pakistan Academy of Letters the previous day, and paid tribute to his valuable literary services. Prof. Munir Fayyaz and former Ambassador Salahuddin Chaudhry spoke about various aspects of Prison Diary, Ho Chi Minh’s personality, poetry, and struggle, and presented selected verses from the book. Presiding over the session, Imdad Akash described Ho Chi Minh as a symbol of courage, resistance, and freedom for oppressed nations.
