PESHAWAR, Nov 7: NWFP Governor Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah on Tuesday declared the Pushto Academy, University of Peshawar, as a language authority and announced Rs1 million for the language laboratory of the academy.

Speaking as chief guest at the inaugural ceremony of the language laboratory the governor said that the laboratory would go a long way in the promotion of Pushto. The function was also attended by the vice-chancellor of Peshawar University, Dr Zulfiqar Gillani, and a large number of literary figures.

Mr Shah said that the Pushto Academy should make use of latest computer technology for the promotion of Pushto. He stressed the need for preparation of computer discs by the academy itself in order to disseminate necessary knowledge about Pushto language and literature. He also stressed the need for a website of the academy.

He said the traditional disharmony in the thinking of Pakhtoon has given rise to many complications in the evolution of standard language and a unified dialect. He urged that the academy should work to strengthen and enrich the language by coining new words and discovering new vistas.

The governor directed to form a committee to give legal status to the newly-established language authority. He lamented that the activities for the promotion of Pushto in Afghanistan had come to a standstill, therefore, the authority of the Pushto Academy should take up the unaccomplished task. The government would extend every possible help in this respect, he added.

Talking about the role of Pushto Academy, the governor regretted that the Academy, which should have been working as a research institute, remained inactive for the last many years. He directed that the research work should be taken in hand.

He said that the possibility of launching PhD and M.Phil classes should be explored, adding that the judicious use of the available resources should be ensured.

The governor said that in view of the current situation, eminent journalists from across the world were visiting the region and were curious about Pushto language and culture.

The world media, he maintained, has felt shortage of knowledge on Pushto language and culture for which “we could not blame others”.