Hamid-ul-Islam Khan, General Secretary of Aalami Urdu Markaz, gives the welcome address. On the stage (from left) are Syed Haris, Syed Kashif, Tahseem ul Haq Haqi, Syed Fahad Mahtab and Ather Nafees Abassi, President, Aalami Urdu Markaz. — Courtesy photo JEDDAH — Aalami Urdu Markaz, a Jeddah-based literary organization, held a meeting at Lasani Restaurant to mourn the death of Pakistani social worker Syed Mahtab Ahmed who passed away recently at a private hospital in Jeddah following a cardiac arrest. The meeting was chaired by Tahseemul Haq Haqi, welfare consular at the Pakistani Consulate General, on behalf of Abdul Salik Khan, Consul General of Pakistan. Khan could not attend the meeting due to his busy schedule. Leaders and representatives of more than 25 different Pakistani and Indian organizations shared with the audience their grief after a long and memorable association with Syed Mahtab. They shed light on the services he rendered for the promotion of the Urdu language in Saudi Arabia. Renowned poets of Jeddah paid tributes by reading out poems. Haqi praised the efforts of Urdu Markaz for organizing the condolence meeting. He announced that the forthcoming Mushaira (poetry gathering) will be in honor of Syed Mahtab. All participants prayed to Allah Almighty to rest the departed soul in eternal peace and grant courage and fortitude to the members of the bereaved family to bear this loss. — SG
