{"id":1153589,"date":"2026-01-29T23:06:27","date_gmt":"2026-01-29T18:06:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.app.com.pk\/?p=1153589"},"modified":"2026-01-29T23:06:27","modified_gmt":"2026-01-29T18:06:27","slug":"pal-hosts-special-event-in-honor-of-renowned-turkish-writer-scholar-dr-halil-toker","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/demo.app.com.pk\/index.php\/2026\/01\/29\/pal-hosts-special-event-in-honor-of-renowned-turkish-writer-scholar-dr-halil-toker\/","title":{"rendered":"PAL hosts special event in honor of renowned Turkish writer, scholar Dr Halil Toker"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">ISLAMABAD, Jan 29 (APP):Pakistan Academy of Letters (PAL) Thursday hosted a special literary and cultural event to honor renowned Turkish writer, scholar, and researcher Professor Dr Halil Toker (Sitara-e-Imtiaz) in recognition of his outstanding and valuable contributions to language and literature, particularly Urdu.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The chief guests on the occasion were Huzaifa Rehman, Minister of State for National Heritage and Culture Division, and Dr Irfan Neziroglu, Ambassador of the Republic of T\u00fcrkiye to Pakistan.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-1153631\" src=\"https:\/\/demo.app.com.pk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-01-29-at-11.28.20-PM-300x200.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/demo.app.com.pk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-01-29-at-11.28.20-PM-300x200.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/demo.app.com.pk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-01-29-at-11.28.20-PM-1024x683.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/demo.app.com.pk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-01-29-at-11.28.20-PM-768x512.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/demo.app.com.pk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-01-29-at-11.28.20-PM-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/demo.app.com.pk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-01-29-at-11.28.20-PM-630x420.jpeg 630w, https:\/\/demo.app.com.pk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-01-29-at-11.28.20-PM-150x100.jpeg 150w, https:\/\/demo.app.com.pk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-01-29-at-11.28.20-PM-696x464.jpeg 696w, https:\/\/demo.app.com.pk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-01-29-at-11.28.20-PM-1068x712.jpeg 1068w, https:\/\/demo.app.com.pk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-01-29-at-11.28.20-PM.jpeg 1599w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The guests of honor included Farah Naz Akbar, Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Federal Education &amp; Professional Training and National Heritage &amp; Culture Division; Dr Mehmet Toyran, Educational Counsellor at the Embassy of T\u00fcrkiye in Pakistan; and Dr Kamran Jahangir, Managing Director of the National Book Foundation. The event was moderated by Munir Fayyaz.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In his address, Huzaifa Rehman said that Dr Halil Toker\u2019s invaluable services to Urdu literature would always be remembered. He remarked that institutions like the Pakistan Academy of Letters represent Pakistan\u2019s soft image globally and that organizing such an event to acknowledge Dr Toker\u2019s contributions was a testament to the Academy\u2019s commitment to literature.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Parliamentary Secretary Farah Naz Akbar said that through tireless efforts, Dr Halil Toker has built a strong literary and cultural bridge between T\u00fcrkiye and Pakistan, which will continue to grow stronger over time. She described him as a true ambassador of Pakistan and Urdu literature in T\u00fcrkiye.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Ambassador Dr Irfan Neziroglu stated that Pakistan\u2013T\u00fcrkiye relations are strengthening with each passing day, and that literature and culture are giving new dimensions to these ties.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Speaking on the occasion, Dr Mehmet Toyran said that educational and literary linkages between Pakistan and T\u00fcrkiye serve as an excellent platform for learning from each other\u2019s experiences. He added that Dr Halil Toker\u2019s contributions play a vital role in promoting academic and cultural cooperation between the two countries.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Dr Kamran Jahangir, Managing Director of the National Book Foundation, emphasized that books, reading, and literature form the strongest foundations for intellectually connecting nations. He said that the National Book Foundation and the Pakistan Academy of Letters aim to further expand joint efforts to promote such literary connections.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In her introductory address, Dr Najeeba Arif, Chairperson of the Pakistan Academy of Letters, highlighted Dr Halil Toker\u2019s deep spiritual and intellectual attachment to Pakistan. She said that his selfless services to Urdu literature are proof that literature transcends borders. She welcomed the distinguished guests and outlined the Academy\u2019s literary and cultural mission.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">At the conclusion of the event, the chief guests and other dignitaries presented Dr Halil Toker with a commemorative shield.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Expressing his gratitude, Dr Toker said that the love and respect he has received from Pakistan is an invaluable asset, and that his relationship with the Urdu language and literature is not merely academic but deeply emotional and spiritual.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He thanked the Chairperson of the Pakistan Academy of Letters and all participants for organizing the event in his honor, and reaffirmed his commitment to continue working for the promotion of literary and cultural ties between Pakistan and T\u00fcrkiye.<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;\" class=\"sharethis-inline-share-buttons\" ><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>ISLAMABAD, Jan 29 (APP):Pakistan Academy of Letters (PAL) Thursday hosted a special literary and cultural event to honor renowned Turkish writer, scholar, and researcher Professor Dr Halil Toker (Sitara-e-Imtiaz) in recognition of his outstanding and valuable contributions to language and literature, particularly Urdu. The chief guests on the occasion were Huzaifa Rehman, Minister of State&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1153633,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"pmpro_default_level":"","_speechable_audio":"","_speechable_word_timings":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[6277,6278,6279],"post_template":[],"top_category":[],"class_list":["post-1153589","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-national","tag-dr-halil-toker","tag-sitara-e-imtiaz-2","tag-turkish-writer","pmpro-has-access"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/demo.app.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1153589","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/demo.app.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/demo.app.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demo.app.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demo.app.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1153589"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/demo.app.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1153589\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demo.app.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1153633"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/demo.app.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1153589"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demo.app.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1153589"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demo.app.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1153589"},{"taxonomy":"post_template","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demo.app.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_template?post=1153589"},{"taxonomy":"top_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demo.app.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/top_category?post=1153589"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}