KPK government announces to promote all native languages
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PESHAWAR: (APP) Special Assistant to Chief Minister on Information and Higher Education Mushtaq Ahmed Ghani said on Tuesday the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government would promote all native languages without any discrimination.
He was speaking as chief guest at a function arranged at the Gandhara Hindko Academy.
The event was organized by the Gandhara Hindko Board, a literary and cultural organization that runs the academy under the public-private partnership.
The special assistant likened the languages spoken in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to a cluster of flowers.
"Every flower has own distinct fragrance which needs to be felt," he said as he addressed the Executive Committee members of the board, officials of the academy and media at the Dr. Zahoor Ahmad Awan Hall of the academy.
Mushtaq Ghani said it goes to the credit of the provincial government which fulfilled a longstanding demand and set up Gandhara Hindko Academy last year by providing required funds for the purpose.
The special assistant praised the Gandhara Hindko Board for managing well the affairs of the academy and expressed satisfaction at its performance.
"It is heartening to note that the academy is working not only for the Hindko language but also other languages," he added.
Mushtaq Ghani said all languages required attention and serious efforts for promotion.
"Languages should not die; these must live. That is why the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government wants all native languages developed without any bias," he stressed.
The special assistant said Hindko was the second main language of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the government would back its promotion along with other languages.
Responding to the suggestions made by the literati present on the occasion, he agreed that provincial assembly proceedings should be conducted in the Hindko language as well along with Urdu, Pashto and English.
He also promised to improve the standard of the Hindko language productions at the state-run radio and television.
Earlier, a noted Hindko writer, poet, research scholar and General Secretary of the Gandhara Hindko Board, Muhammad Ziauddin, and Vice-chairman, Dr Salahuddin, briefed the special assistant and mediapersons about the work done by the board and academy so far.
Ziauddin, who also serves as Chief of the Executive Committee of the Gandhara Hindko Academy, said the academy had published 50 books to date and as many publications were in the pipeline. He said the academy was bringing out regular publications as well such as Hindko Adab, Surkhail, The Gandhara Voice and Taarey, etc side by side holding conferences and seminars to raise awareness about the language and culture.
Later, the special assistant had a round of various sections of the academy and evinced a keen interest in the books and publications displayed at the Dr Elahi Bakhsh Awan Library. He was gifted a copy of the versified Hindko translation of the Holy Quran, rendered by late Abdul Ghafoor Malik of Hazara, and other books published by the academy.
Mushtaq Ghani also launched the Hindko book "Rehmatan Dee Baarish" penned by a distinguished writer Nazir Hussain Shah Kaselvi of Abbottabad.
A number of Hindko writer and poets, including Nasir Daud of Mansehra, Akhtar Naeem of Havelian, Ziaul Haq Sarhadi, Sadiq Saba, Sikandar Hayat attended the function.
