The 30th International Conference on Punjabi literature & culture concluded with Lahore Declaration, demanding rightful place for in Pakistani Punjab and establishment of first-ever Punjabi university in Lahore.
The declaration also demanded that Punjabi should be taught at the primary level and curriculums of Punjabi language and literature in colleges and universities should be revised to include the modern trends in the language.
In the first session of the International Conference on Punjabi literature & culture, Ahmed Saleem, Baljeet Balli, Sushil Dosanjh, Gurbhajan Singh Gill spoke on Punjabi novel and poetry.
The second session was presided over by Dr Nizamuddin, former chairman of the Higher Education Commission, who emphasized on the new curriculum of Punjabi in graduate & postgraduate level.
He said he had done some work in this direction but more is needed. He also demanded Punjabi University in Lahore.
The second session was concluded with the Lahore Declaration.
A declaration committee was formed under the leadership of Chairman World Punjabi Congress Fakhar Zaman with members including President Indian chapter WPC Dr Deepak Manmohan Singh, Prof Gurbhajan Singh and Sehajpreet Mangat.
The declaration was issued at the concluding ceremony, which demanded that the Punjabi language should shun the attitude of purism and should be more understandable in India and Pakistan.
“The opening of Kartarpur corridor is appreciable because it was the longstanding demand of WPC. The visas between the two countries should be liberalized.
The Samjhota Express between India and Pakistan and Bus service between Amritsar and Lahore should be resumed, there should be a dialogue between the two countries about the long-pending disputes including Kashmir and relations should be normalized between the two neighbouring countries.”
The declaration further demanded that there should be a full paper of Gurmukhi in MA Punjabi in Punjab University Lahore and similarly a full paper on Shahmukhi in Indian Universities.
There should be more cultural & literary exchanges between India and Pakistan, especially between the two Punjab.
Senior citizens of Pakistan and India should be given visa-on-arrival facility at the border, like in the past. All languages spoken in Pakistan are the national languages of Pakistan.
In the end, WPC Chairman Fakhar Zaman announced 31st International Conference to be held in London next year.