PESHAWAR: Advisor to the Prime Minister on Political and Public Affairs, National Heritage and Culture Division Amir Muqam on Wednesday underscored the need for promoting regional languages and literature for a well-informed, educated, and knowledgeable society.
He said this while speaking at the inauguration of the newly-constructed building of the Provincial Office of Pakistan Academy of Letters (PAL) at Hayatabad.
The adviser said the regional languages, literature, culture and art defined the identity of a nation and the government had been taking measures to promote them to create a knowledgeable, educated and well-informed society that could enjoy peace and prosperity.
Amir Muqam, who is also the President of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chapter, said the developed nations never forget heritage, art, culture and feel proud of artists.
The adviser said great Pashto poets such as Rehman Baba, Khushal Khan Khattak, Amir Hamza Khan Shinwari, Dr Azam Azam, and Hafiz Alpuri promoted peace, brotherhood and interfaith harmony through their poetry and brought people closer.
Muqam directed PAL officials to work on the promotion of regional languages, poetry and literature, including Pashto, Hindko and Saraiki so that the KP youth could be acquainted with regional languages, literature, art, and culture.
The prime minister’s aide said KP was home to Gandhara civilization with great diversity in art, culture and languages and PAL was needed to play a leading role in its promotion.
He urged poets and writers to highlight Pakistan especially KP’s rich culture for not only educating the people but also promoting tourism.
Congratulating senior officers of his ministry and PAL on the completion of the academy’s provincial office, he said it was a gift of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz-led federal government for the people of KP which, he hoped, would become a great centre of learning.
In the second session of the inaugural, titled ‘75 Years of Pakistani and Pashto Literature in KP’, Amir Muqam unveiled selected books of different languages, including Urdu, Pashto and Hindko literature published by the PAL.