Promotion of all languages stressed

PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Ghulam Ali has said all the languages spoken in the country represent the cultures associated with them which should be acknowledged and promoted without any discrimination.

“Hindko is identified with Peshawar and other parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa where it is spoken. It deserves promotion like all other fellow languages,” the governor said while talking to a delegation of the Gandhara Hindko Board and Gandhara Hindko Academy which called on him at the Governor’s House.According to a press release, Caretaker Minister for Industries, Commerce, Revenue and Technical Education, Adnan Jalil, was present on the occasion as well.The delegation members included Muhammad Ziauuddin a known Hindko language research scholar and general secretary of the Gandhara Hindko Board, Ahmad Nadeem Awan, Ziaul Haq Sarhadi, Sharafat Ali Mubarak, Ihsan Ilahi, Prof Samina Iffat, Ms Gul Arbab and others.

The members of the delegation informed the governor about the literary and cultural activities being carried out by the Hindko board and the academy it was running in partnership with the government for the promotion of the Hindko language and culture.

Ziauddin said the Gandhara Hindko Board was launched way back in 1993 for the promotion of the Hindko language which is the sixth main language of the country and second widely spoken language in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. “The literary and cultural work done by the board bore fruit and paved the way for the setting up of the Gandhara Hindko Academy in the year 2015. The academy is successfully working under public-private partnership,” said Ziauddin who is also chief of the executive committee that oversees the academy’s working.

He said the number of the books and publications by the Hindko Academy has crossed the 500 mark which is no small achievement.Ziauddin added that the Hindko Academy has now expanded its work and is vying for the promotion of other Pakistani languages as well.” We are facilitating publication of literary journals in other languages such as Saraiki, Khowar and Towali, etc apart from bringing out books in various languages,” he explained.The governor appreciated the work being done by the board and the academy and said the credit goes to those managing the affairs of these literary and cultural organisations.He assured all help to the Hindko board and the academy and said the funds allocated for the academy would be doubled. The delegation presented the Hindko translation of the Holy Quran and other books and publications to the governor on the occasion.