QUETTA: Nationalist parties, student organisations and social welfare groups observed International Mother Language Day here on Saturday, with speakers at seminars and meetings calling upon the government to recognise Balochi, Pashto, Brahui, Sindhi, Seraiki, Pun­jabi and Hazargi as national languages of the country to promote native languages as medium of instruction in educational institutions.

The gatherings were held at the academies working for promotion of Balochi, Pashto, Brahui and Hazargi languages to remember the sacrifices of students of the Dhaka University, who were killed in police action in former East Pakistan during demonstrations calling for recognition of Bengali as a national language of Pakistan.

The International Mother Language Day was chosen by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation in 1999 to commemorate the killing of four students in Dhaka on Feb 21, 1952.

The speakers said Pakistan was a multi-lingual state but successive governments had been ignoring the importance of the mother languages as medium of instruction in schools, which had created a sense of deprivation among the indigenous people.

They said mother languages were identity of communities and reflected culture and traditions of the natives. Celebration of International Mother Language Day is aimed to develop better understanding among different ethnic groups in the country.

They said the adoption of the mother languages as medium of instruction in schools would develop the languages and also help increase literacy rate in the country.

Published in Dawn February 22nd , 2015

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