Conference at Hindko Academy: Steps sought for promotion of Kohistani language, culture

PESHAWAR: The participants of a conference, arranged here by the Gandhara Hindko Board (GHB), sought steps for the promotion of the Kohistani language and culture.

The suggestions were made through a number of resolutions passed at the end of the moot, which was arranged at the Gandhara Hindko Academy (GHA).

A noted Hindko language research scholar, General Secretary of the GHB and Chief of Executive Committee of the GHA, Muhammad Ziauddin, hosted and coordinated the conference.

Talib Jan conducted the proceedings while a known Kohistani language writer and researcher, Inamullah, presided over the event.

Chief guests were Awami National Party Member Provincial Assembly (MPA) from Swat, Jafar Shah, and a former MPA of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl, Maulana Asmatullah.

A number of linguists, cultural activists and people from various walks of life attended the conference. Research papers were read out and speeches made to highlight various aspects of the Kohistani language and culture.

The resolutions passed by the gathering asked the government to set up a public sector body to work for the promotion of the Kohistani language spoken in Indus Kohistan, Swat and Dir and Chitral.

Those at the moot called for implementing Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Regional Languages Authority Act passed by the provincial assembly in the year 2011. They wanted Kohistanis officially declared as indigenous population.

The gathering demanded the establishment of the Kohistani chairs in the public sector universities and other government-funded institutes to work for the promotion of the language and culture.

Arrangements were sought to introduce Kohistani as a medium of instruction at the primary level in the respective areas where the language was spoken.

The conference demanded setting up of the seasonal schools in the Kohistani areas which see the migration of population during inclement weathers, especially snowfall in the hilly areas.

The gathering requested the GHB and GHA to continue supporting the Kohistani language and culture promotion efforts till the community members were able to work on their own for the purpose. It also asked the Pashto Academy to extend support to the Kohistani literati in promoting the language and culture.

Earlier, the conference got underway at the Sain Ahmad Ali Hall of the academy.

Inamullah, a writer and researcher, enlisted the aims and objectives of the event. He spotlighted the Kohistani language, literature, culture, social customs and history.

MPA Jaffar Shah said the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa languages were like a cluster of flowers. “These are the source of our identity and we should not forget this fact,” he emphasized.

Former MPA Maulana Asmatullah said we will have to play our role in promoting our mother languages to protect the identity.

Muhammad Ziauddin said the speakers of the Kohistani language were living in different areas of the province. He said the GHB and GHA felt honoured by hosting the Kohistani conference in the provincial capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

He said the Kohistani conference had been arranged in line with the efforts of the GHB which wanted all the native languages of the province promoted.

“We have arranged conferences on Seraiki, Khowar, Kohistani, published books in various Khyber Pakhtunkhwa languages along with Hindko,” said Ziauddin, informing the audience that the board set up in 1993 had published 300 books so far and the tally of the regular publications stood at 17.

The literatus said a strong will could accomplish the most difficult tasks. “The Kohistani language will develop greatly if the Kohistani people resolved to make concerted efforts for their social and economic development,” he said, announcing that the next Kohistani conference would be arranged at Mingora in Swat.

Director of the Pashto Academy, University of Peshawar, Dr Nasrullah Khan Wazir, said all the languages were, in fact, our heritage. He said efforts should be undertaken for the promotion of all the languages and cultures.

The literati and scholars read out papers to shed light on various aspects of the Kohistani language and culture.

Moutabar Shah Rashid paper was on “The limits of Indus Kohistani, it’s the areas where it is spoken”; Mohammad Idrees talked on “ Kohistan and Kohistani”; Mohammad Naeem Akhtar of Mansehra spoke on “Kohistani community and its links with the people of Mansehra”; Prof Dr Arifullah topic was “ Gawar-Bati Kohistani language”; Asmatullah Dameli dwelt at “Dameli alphabets”; the paper of Prof Fazle Khaliq of the University of Swat was o “ The link between a society and language”; Habibullah Kohistani discussed “ Ushojo and Kohistani links”; Ziaur Rehman talked about the “ Geographical importance of the Kohistani areas”; Inamullah Torwali topic was “ Why the identity for the Kohstanis and how “; Abdul Khaliq Hamdard talked of “ Orthography of the Shena language”, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Lower Kohistan General Secretary Juma Khan focuses on education in the context of Kohistani, Noor Khan paper was about “ Torwali and its links with other languages”, Alif Ailaan Regional Coordinator, Hafizur Rehman, Fazl Rehman, Naseem Haider, and Hameed Iqbal spoke as well.

Shields and certificates were distributed in the last part of the conference.