First Urdu Newspaper of Dubai

First Urdu newspaper in Dubai to be launched on Nov one

Hyderabad, Oct 11 (UNI) United Arab Emirates' first Urdu daily newspaper, 'Urdu Post', will be launched at Dubai on November to cater to the large number of Urdu-speaking expatriates from across the world, particulary non-resident Indians in Gulf and their Pakistani counterparts.

The 12-page multicolour paper will have four pages of news from India, four pages from Pakistan and remaining pages of news from Dubai and Emirates. The Indian news in the paper would be collated and filmed from Hyderabad where Urdu Post will have its bureau, S A Khan Naiyer, Chairman, Al-Taj group of companies UAE and Chairman of Urdu Post told reporters here today.

With 8.5 lakh Urdu community in UAE, including 5.5 lakh Pakistanis,' the Urdu Post would aim at creating bridges of understanding between the UAE expatriate community hailing from India and Pakistan, 80 per cent of whom are Urdu knowing. ''It would create an atmosphere of peace and fuelled with this inspiration we will publish the best material, which would please as well as inform people from different walks of life,'' he said.

Priced at one Dirham, the cost of Urdu Post would be half the price of any other newspaper in the Emriates. The company had already tied up with Khaleej Times to leverage its wide network and also made arrangement for its printing with 'Akhbar-ul-Arab,' the leading Arabic daily. The newspaper would be available at 600 retail outlets, more than 100 hyper markets, 46 Adnoc Gas Stations, 67 Al-Emirate Gas Stations, 156 Eppco and Enoc gas stations.

The company proposes to have an edition in London, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah and double its print order over one lakh in the next six months to have an extensive campaign and promotion drive in the entire Gulf region. It would also start an Internet edition of Urdu Post.

Andhra Pradesh Information Minister Mohd Shabbir Ali, who was present at the news conference, promised all assistance from the State Government and its department in promotion of the Urdu language daily.

He expressed hope that Urdu Post would help to foster better understanding and relationship between India and Pakistan even while keeping the NRIs' with news update from India.

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The Urdu community of Dubai needs to be congratulated on this occassion, Dubai is fast becoming another Urdu center outside of India and Pakistan.