AFTER a year of its inception, readers of ‘Awaz' – Saudi Gazette's weekly Urdu supplement – hosted a celebration recently to mark its anniversary. Calls were made for making it a daily newspaper and to add more pages to the presently 4-page edition. With its coverage of local issues, events and forums of Urdu-speaking expatriates in the Kingdom, expert news analysis, women related issues and features from well-known writers, Awaz has carved out a niche for itself in just one year. Ahmed Butt, a reader, said he never misses an edition of Awaz and that his wife and children wait for every Friday to read the Urdu weekly. “From the beginning, Awaz has kept its readers captivated. It has indeed become everyone's ‘awaz' (voice),” he said. Butt said he liked the feature and analysis page of Awaz. “It deals with real issues which have an impact on the society,” he said. Awaz is fast gaining popularity among female readers. Its women's page includes fashion features, recipes, health, household issues and other stories. “Awaz caters to all tastes. The women's page is interesting, while my husband's favorite is the political analysis page. He finds it accurate, credible and current,” said Aminah Ali, a reader in Dammam. Naseem Haider, another reader, said the weekly has improved a lot since it was started. “With each edition, Awaz has grown stronger and better. I am looking forward to see it become a daily newspaper,” he said. Pakistani Consul General Zaighamuddin Azam, who presided over the anniversary function, said: “The consulate extends its full support to those contributing toward the Urdu language as it is our national language. Sameera Aziz and the ‘Awaz' team deserve to be honored.” “The Urdu weekly should be made a daily and its pages should be increased to a minimum of 16,” said Riaz Hussain Bukhari, President of the Pakistan Peoples Community, which organized the anniversary celebrations. He said he hoped ‘Awaz' will help project a better image of Pakistan. Guest of Honor Dr. Abdullah Al-Bargi, Adviser to the Editor-in-Chief of Saudi Gazette, acknowledged the overwhelming response received for ‘Awaz'. He said expatriates are emotionally attached to their native language in a foreign land. “When I was in America, I would anxiously wait for Arabic newspapers which were available only once a week,” he said. Shams Ahsan, Managing Editor of Saudi Gazette, said ‘Awaz' endeavors to represent the voice of the voiceless. “With the community's support we are hopeful that this Urdu edition will go a long way and cater to the diverse needs of the Urdu readers,” he said. Sameera Aziz, Saudi Gazette Editor and In charge of ‘Awaz', was the chief guest. “We have brought up ‘Awaz' like our baby, gradually teaching it to walk and then run,” she said. Syed Ehsanul Haque, convener Pakistan Repatriation Council (PRC), appreciated Awaz for shedding light on the issues of stranded Pakistanis. Eng. Abdul Aleem Khan, President of Engineers Welfare Forum Jeddah ( EWFJ ), said the weekly had contributed towards ‘community building'. Maqboolur Rahman Abbasi of Pakistan Journalists Forum congratulated ‘Awaz' on its success. Pakistani Press Consular Mohammed Jameel was present at the function among other guests. Qamar Haider Qamar, Mohsin Alavi, Tabassum Alavi, Abdul Qayyum Waseq, Syed Mahtab Ahmed, Nasir Burni and Shaukat Jamal paid poetic tributes to ‘Awaz'. The proceedings of the event were conducted by Naseem-e-Sehar and Fazal Abbas, recitation of the Holy Qur'an by Dr. Abdul Rehman Mussarat Khalil, Naat by Eng. Syed Masood Abbasi and the national song by Sher Afzal. __
