The Gurmani Centre for Languages and Literature, LUMS, hosted the launch of Ā’īnah Kyūṅ Na Dūṅ (آئینہ کیوںنہ دوں), the first poetry collection by Dr. Jawad Sarwar Syed. Bringing together poets, critics, friends, and family, the evening explored Sayed’s poetic journey through critical reflections, personal recollections, and performances of his work.

Sabahat Bukhari formally opened the event by introducing the guest speakers and inviting them onstage. Dr. Ali Usman introduced the event, discussed the Importance of literature, commented on the poet's creativity, and offered his views on how Syed’s creative art has evolved over time.

The program then moved to portray the person behind the poetry. Dr. Hammad Sarwar, Dr. Faiza Ali, Wing Commander (R) Ibrar Ahmed, Dr. Syed Zahoor Hasan and Rear Admiral Suhail Azmi offered personal reflections on Sayed as brother, husband, colleague and friend. Their recollections complemented the critical discussion that followed by situating the poetry within the poet's life experiences and relationships.

The event also brought Sayed’s poetry to life through recitation and musical performance. Atif Tufail recited selected ghazals from the collection, while Dara Sarwar presented a short poem. Hussain Ahmad followed with a selection of pieces performed with guitar accompaniment, adding a musical dimension to the evening’s engagement with the poet’s work.

The critical conversation focused on how Sayed’s poetry engages with identity, resistance, aesthetics, and the quest for self. Arsalan Ahmad reflected on the necessity of poetry and its relation to questions of identity, while Shahnaz Naqvi examined the collection’s aesthetic aspects, its dimensions of resistance, and its analytical features. Shaheen Abbas described Syed’s poetic practice as an existential journey towards self-discovery. Dr. Najeeb Jamal highlighted the dual function of his poetry: its basis in the classical poetic traditions alongside its engagement with contemporary meaning. Drawing on Aristotle’s idea of catharsis and Matthew Arnold’s views on the function of poetry, he highlighted the collection’s balance between classical form and contemporary significance.

The author thanked the participants and the people who helped him through the writing and publication process. In his concluding remarks, Dr. Asad Areeb returned to one of the main themes of the evening: poetry as a continuous process of self-discovery. He noted that Sayed's poetic journey is an exact example of this search for self. He proposed that Ā’īnah Kyūṅ Na Dūṅ is not simply a set of poems but rather a record of the poet's ongoing interaction with himself and the world. The evening ended with the distribution of souvenirs to the guests of honour, the speakers, and the performers.