KARACHI: Schoolchildren brought together by the Pashtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) held a demonstration here on Saturday, demanding education in regional languages.

Holding placards outside the press club, enthusiastic girls and boys raised slogans in favour of their demand.

The leaders said the PkMAP had organised the demonstration in connection with the International Mother Language Day, which is observed on Feb 21 all over the world, as part of its struggle to spread awareness about importance of regional languages.

“We are not against any particular language,” Sabireen Khan Chagharzai of the PkMAP said.

He said there were millions of Pakhtuns across the country but despite having a rich linguistic history their language was not taught in cities and most rural areas.

He said the authorities should learn from the 1971 debacle when a dispute over language had led to the creation of Bangladesh. He said children should be educated in their mother tongue for better understanding and awareness of culture.

“You can make Urdu and English part of the syllabus as we believe in learning every language. But the subjects other than linguistics should be taught in the mother tongues,” Mr Chagharzai added.

Published in Dawn February 22nd , 2015

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