Book reading habit is declining rapidly among youths especially due to excessive usage of cable TV and telecommunication etc, said University of Agriculture Faisalabad Pro-Vice Chancellor Dr Zafar Iqbal Randhawa. He addressed book launching ceremony titled ‘Turkey Bah Tukey’ written by Dr Ijaz Tabassum. He stressed upon the need to adopt book-reading culture that will promote healthy, tolerant and progressive society.

He said that the nation, who forget their culture, diminish from the map of the world. He viewed that we have to enrich the heart of the youth with Islamic values, traditions and culture. He added that Punjab, the land of five rivers, has unique and astonishing history of having great spiritual poets, including Shah Hussain, Sultan Bahu, Bulleh Shah, Waris Shah, Baba Farid Ganj-e-Shakar, Mian Mohammad Bakhsh, Khawaja Ghulam Farid, Shah Murad, and Pir Mehr Ali Shah. He lamented that unluckily, we could not develop society based on such values that were propagated by our elders. He lauded the contribution of Dr Ijaz Tabassum for writing the many books. Renowned Writer Tariq Ismail Saghar said Dr Ijaz Tabassum book drive the readers to indulge in the thinking process and to think out of the box. He said that stepped up efforts were need to sensitize public about the importance of books and to create the environment in which excessive reading culture be developed. He said that politicization in the educational institutions had spoiled the quality of education. Dr Ijaz Tabassum said that it is a dilemma that we were adopting the western culture. He said that it is vital to inculcate Islamic values in the society so that we can make the development rapidly. He urged the people to promote the literary activities . Senior Tutor Athar Javed said that collaborated efforts were required to promote the education based society. Renowned Writer Mehboob Elahi said that the teachers, elders and parents have to put a special focus on the grooming and to develop the reading habits in the youth. UAF Professor Dr Shahzad Busra said that the university was blessed with talented and literary people. Deputy Registrar UAF and renowned writer Syed Qamar Bukhari said we have to refurbish skills of youths with modern knowledge and literature for a bright Pakistan. Dr Tahir Siddque, Dr Muhammad Younus, Dr Aqeela Sagher, Dr Shoukat Ali and other notables also spoke.