Speakers at the launching ceremony of the Novella, “The treasure in whispering pines”, lauded the singular effort of the writer, Mr. M Ilyas, former Director at the Ministry of Information, saying it was a great addition to masterpieces, written in the backdrop of World War-II. The ceremony was organized by the Information Service Academy (ISA) here on Thursday, with Secretary Information, Ms Shahera Shahid gracing the occasion as Chief Guest. A large number of invitees including senior officials, writers, poets, students, and socialites from the twin cities attended the event. Ms Aisha Siddique, from ISA, hosted the program. In her address, Secretary I&B said the event was organized with a view to highlighting the quality publication, and it was an honour to attend the launch keeping in view the fact that a former senior official of the Ministry of Information had written the short novel. She said it was heartening to see the book winning acclaim in literary circles abroad. With proper projection, it would also be well received within the country. She said the event was also part of the Ministry as well as ISA’s efforts to revive book reading culture among the youngsters. She wished the writer all the best in his future endeavors. Giving his critique on the novella, known poet, writer and intellectual, Naseem e Sahar appreciated the outlook of the book. He also lauded the writer’s command over the language, “specially the frequent use of idiomatic expressions and metaphors is remarkable”. The depiction of the atmosphere of the time was really nice, and the characters all spoke for themselves. Never at any stage, it felt the story was being related by a non-English speaking individual. He quoted various pieces from the short novel, proving his point about the crisp expression of the writer. Former Director General, Directorate of Electronic Media and Publication, R A Qayum shared his thoughts quoting specially selected lines from the book. He said the plot of the book was beautifully orchestrated by Ilyas and he built the story effectively on the backdrop of the second world war. According to him from the very first sentence to the last, the novella kept the readers absorbed. Mr. Mubarik Virk, senior journalist, said “it was a good attempt and a great debut publication by S M Ilyas”. “Many more will follow”, he remarked. Known columnist and a former senior official of the Ministry of I&B Malik M. Ashraf said, coming from a retired official of the Ministry of I&B, the Novella would serve as a great encouragement for the young officers, and provide them the spirit to read and write, both traits being the pre-requisites to build up careers in the field of media. The Writer, Mr. Ilyas giving an overview of his publication, said he opted to set the story in the west, to have an international appeal. Doing so got his book, international recognition. He stated that the novella has earned five-star rating on Amazon. He wished the short novel could receive similar response within the country. He apprised the audience about the obstacles he had to face in publishing this book. He expressed his gratitude to the Secretary Information and Broadcasting and DG ISA for facilitating the formal launch of his book. Earlier, Trainee officer at the ISA, Ms Tehreem presented a synopsis of the Novella giving a brief account of the whole story and it’s relevance to contemporary times. DG ISA, in the end said, the academy endeavored to hold social events, seminars and symposia as part of the training for new entrants to the Information Group. The Book Launch he said was an effort to this end. He thanked the speakers for their participation and a wonderful critique. The story of the novel, it may be added, revolves around the family of decorated British Army Major, Mr. Richards whose return home after the world war-2, gets him a warm greeting by the family, and a revelation about their son David, having hallucination, and displaying odd behavior at school. A visit to a known psychiatrist and advice to the parents, for an excursion to a hill station, away from the bustling routine, sets the story rolling. The following events, endeavors of the family to settle elsewhere, set up their own business, interaction with an unruly Lord of the area, the skirmishes with him, and finally a new beginning to a peaceful life, keep the readers absorbed throughout. The short novel has been well received by a wide spectrum of readers in the West, with Amazon awarding it a 5-star rating. The writer. M Ilyas, it may also be added, worked as Media Manager to several Federal Ministers and has the honor of serving with six former prime ministers in the capacity of Press Officer. He also served with the Senate of Pakistan, first as PRO and then as Director PR. He has the distinction of working as Secretary to the Senate Committee on I& B. He has contributed a number of articles and write-ups to leading newspapers on environment, population, social and gender issues besides promotion of tourism. He retired in early 2019, as Director, Ministry of I&B. ******
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