KARACHI - Sindh Culture Minister Syed Sardar Shah on Tuesday informed the provincial Assembly that the department was working on “Bhittai Pedia” from where poetry collection of Hazrat Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai would be one click away as the house paid glowing tribute to Sufi saint on the eve of his 278th Urs.

Speaking on a resolution jointly tabled by Pakistan Peoples Party’s Heer Soho, Muhamamad Hussain Khan of Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan, Nand Kumar of Grand Democratic Alliance and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s Firdaus Shamim Naqvi, the Minister said that Culture department would suggest the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to declare Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai’s collection a part of intangible cultural heritage.
 “Pakistan has only six world heritage sites, we will approach the UNESCO to include the work of Hazrat Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai as a part of the world cultural heritage,” he added. Sardar said that BhittaiPedia was being developed by Abdul Majid Bhurgri institute of Language Engineering at Hyderabad. 

“The entire collection of Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai’s poetry would be available at BhttaiPedia,” he said and added that would be the first Application, having entire collection of any poet.
The Minister said that the Culture department had already translated Hazrat Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai’s collection in Urdu, English, Arabic and Persian, adding that translation in Chinese would also be completed soon. 

He said that a ceremony to present ‘Latif Award’ to those who contributed in highlighting the message of the great Sufi saint globally would be held on 24th September in Bhit Shah. PPP’s Heer Soho, Tanzeela Umi Habiba, Ghazala Siyal, Parveen Bashher Qaimkhani, Imdad Pitafi, Ghulam Qadir Chandio, Munawwar Wassan and Jam Shabbir Ali, MQM-P’s Muhammad Hussain Khan, Rabia Khatoon and Mangla Sharma, GDA’s Nand Kumar, Nusrat Sehar Abbasi and Abdul Razzaque Rahimoon, PTI’s Firdaus Shamim Naqvi, Jamal ud din Siddiqui and dissident Shaheryar Khan Shar and Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal’s Syed Abdul Raseed also spoke on the occasion.
“This house pays homage to most renowned mystic Sufi and great poet Hazrat Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai on the occasion of his 278th Urs Mubarak. Bhittai was a beacon of Sufi enlightenment. 

The virtues of peace, patriotism and love in his poetry make him the greatest advocate of harmony and social tranquillity. He not only prayed for the prosperity and stability of Sindh but also for the well being of whole mankind in the words,” the resolution read.
At outset of the proceedings, the situation took ugly turn when PTI’s Khurram Sher Zaman stood, demanding the Deputy Speaker to allow him to speak a point of order soon as Heer Soho of PPP rose to seek the chair’s permission for tabling the resolution.
Deputy Speaker Rehana Leghari asked the PTI member to take his seat, assuring that he would be allowed later. The agitating PTI lawmaker left the house in protest when the Deputy Speaker allowed Heer Soho to move the resolution. Later, the house was adjourned to Friday.