PESHAWAR: Poets, writers, language experts and civil society members organised different events throughout Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including merged tribal districts, on Friday to mark the International Mother Language Day and asked the government to implement the law of imparting education to children in their respective mother tongues.

Various literary and civil society organisations arranged seminars, rallies and poetry sessions and staged walks to highlight the significance of mother tongues in their social and political life.

The Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party organised an event at the hujra of Haji Inamullah Khan at Achini Payan here.

Niazbeen Malang, an activist of PkMAP, while addressing the gathering said that the KP education department should implement the policy of imparting education to children in their mother tongue from the upcoming academic session and Pashto be made official lingo and alongside courts’ proceedings be held in Pashto as it was a comprehensive language in all respects.

The participants said that Pakistan being signatory to the Unseco conventions and resolutions should implement imparting education to children in mother tongues and also take measures to preserve all languages being spoken in KP.

International Mother Language Day observed across KP

The Qaumi Watan Party also organised an event in connection with mother language day in Peshawar.

Party’s provincial chief Sikandar Sherpao said that national progress was closely linked to imparting education in mother languages. He said that most languages were on the verge of dying owing to negligence of the government.

Mr Sherpao launched ‘Hayat Shaheed Award’ to acknowledge the literary and cultural services of the literati and artists.

In Timergara, a private educational institution arranged a function to mark the day. Deputy commissioner Saadat Hasan was the chief guest on the occasion.

The deputy commissioner said the day was being celebrated each year to inform the people of language and cultural diversity in the world. He said that different languages like Pashto, Gojro and Kohistani were spoken in parts of Lower Dir. He said that Pashto was the mother tongue of majority of the population in the region and it should be given due importance.

In Mardan, Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party, Awami National Party and Adabi Doostanu Marika held an awareness walk to highlight the importance of mother languages.

The walk was led by Ashraf Khan advocate and Gohar Ali of PkMAP, Nadia Shah of ANP, Suleman Kamil of Adabi Dustanu Marika and PTM local convener Iqbal Hoti.

The speakers said that Pashto was their mother language and it should be declared as official language in educational institutions, courts and government offices across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

In Swabi, Qam Qalam and Utman Leekwal, the literary bodies, staged separate walks to observe the mother language day.

Led by Qam Qalam chairman Dr Mohammad Jasim, its members and various Pashto poets gathered and marched to Karnal Sher Khan Chowk in a procession. They called for giving due place to the Pashto language.

Tasawar Minerwal, president of the body, said that the communities who failed to uphold their mother language could not make progress. In Batkhela, literary and civil society organisations held events to observe the mother language day.

The Mrstial Leekwaal Malakand organised a function at Batkhela Press Club which was also participated by members of Hamesha Adabi Tolana, Yaran-i-Qalam Adabi Tolana and other literary bodies.

They called for increasing the time of Pashto language programmes on the state-run TV and radio.

Published in Dawn, February 22nd, 2020