KARACHI   –  The Karachi Press Club (KPC) organised a launching ceremony of Dr Saeed Masood Usmani’s book ‘FM Radio, State and Cultural Change.’ Senior journalist and teacher Dr Tauseef Ahmed Khan, Dr Irfan Aziz, Badar Soomro, Dr Jafar Ahmed, Munza Siddiqui and author Dr Saeed Usmani addressed the ceremony, while Dr Mahmood Laiq presided over the ceremony. The ceremony began with the recitation of the Holy Quran by senior journalist Muhammad Munsif. The event was moderated by Jamia NED Spokesperson Farwa Hassan, she highlighted some important points related to the book and also asked timely questions to the speakers. Speaking on the occasion, Dr Badar Soomro said that it is very welcome that Dr Saeed Usmani has preserved his life experiences in the form of a book. Chairman of the Department of Communication Dr Irfan Aziz said that when he sees Dr Saeed Usmani, he gets the lesson that no matter what the age is, one should not stop reading. He said that a special thing about this research paper is that it also includes interviews with the transgender community. He said that radio plays an important role in our lives and social issues have also been highlighted in this research. Digital influencer and executive producer of a local TV channel, Munza Siddiqui said that radio is a means of learning languages. She said that during the era of FM Radio, people’s way of thinking was better, but now it is necessary to pay special attention to the choice of words. She further said that FM radio also plays an important role in conveying information to far-flung places. Dr Tauseef Ahmed Khan said that when he first met Dr Saeed Usmani, he seemed younger than the youth. He further said that sometimes radio was used for propaganda and it also happened that lost wars were presented as won. Dr Tauseef Ahmed Khan further said that this book describes the history of radio in detail, which also includes a review of radio in Pakistan and European countries. He said that students do not have facilities for research and 90 percent of research papers done in universities are not published. He said that until there is a public response to the research, it cannot be considered fully useful. He also thanked Sarfaraz, Dr Saifullah and Aziz Singhur, who worked day-and-night to convert the paper into this book form. On this occasion, Dr Jafar Ahmed, commenting on the book, said that while reading the book, he felt as if he was talking to himself. He said that studying this book increased his knowledge and it is a quality research book. He said that the great merit of this book is that it is a treasure trove of information and PhD thesis should be based on primary sources. Giving a message about the book, renowned journalist Mazhar Abbas said that this book should be published not only in Urdu but also in other languages so that students and media workers should make it a must-read. The author of the book, Dr Saeed Usmani, thanked all those who contributed to the completion of the PhD thesis and the book. He said that FM Radio has not ended, but even today there is a radio in mobile phones. He said that radio is a good companion in solitude and information can be obtained through it even during work. At the end of the ceremony, the president of the gathering, Dr Mahmud Laiq, addressing the audience in a characteristically cheerful manner, said that giving such research papers a book form is very important for our society. He further said that Dr Saeed Usmani is a personality who has gained rich experience in journalism from the era of no electricity to today’s AI era. He appreciated the author’s work and said that presenting the research in the form of a book is a welcome development for the youth and the society. The book launching was attended by a large number of journalists and writers, including Karachi Press Club Governing Body Member Sheema Siddiqui and Russian House Assistant Director Fariha Aqib.