KP culture policy termed a step in right direction

PESHAWAR: The social and literary circles on Thursday termed the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa culture policy a step in the right direction for promotion and preservation of indigenous culture.

Presidential award winner and literary figure Laiq Zada Laiq said the province lacked clear direction and there was a need for such policy after the passage of the 18th Amendment to the Constitution.

He said that though it took the government almost eight years to formulate the policy, he hoped that it would help promote and preserve indigenous cultural heritage and address the problems being faced by the artistes and artisans.

Poet and scholar Prof Dr Abaseen Yousufzai termed the culture policy a milestone, adding it was the need of the hour.

He said the province had diverse culture but the Directorate of Culture lacked any clear direction as there was no such policy.

He opined that speakers of other languages apart from Pashto and people of other

ethnic groups would benefit from the policy as they would get due attention.

He felt the approval of the culture policy was a big achievement of the incumbent Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-led provincial government.

He added that the policy was a complete document and would protect the rights, culture, languages and heritage of all the ethnic groups in the province.

Dr Salahuddin, vice-president of the Gandhara Hindko Board, hoped the policy would help promote regional cultures, dialects and literature.

He complained about the indifferent attitude of the district governments towards other ethnic groups.

He said that the implementation of the policy would help address the reservations

about the attitude of the local governments towards other ethnic groups.

Writer and culture expert Fazal Khaliq said that now the culture heritage would get government ownership and it would ensure protection to the diverse culture of the province.

He said that he expected the inclusion of lessons about culture heritage in the curriculum to promote awareness among the younger generation about their culture and heritage.