LAHORE: The Punjab Institute of Language, Art and Culture (Pilac) is about to start a free Chinese language course.

Pilac Director General Dr Sughra Sadaf told Dawn this free-of-cost basic Chinese language course was being launched for encouragement of Chinese language learners.

The three-month certificate course, starting in the first week of July, won’t have an age or education bar, she said and added that 26 students had got enrolled for the course, so far. The certificate course would have classes two days a week, on Mondays and Tuesdays, from 6pm to 8pm. Those who would clear the basic course could later take admission to HSK1 and HSK2 levels of Chinese language courses.

Ms Sadaf said such courses were immensely important, keeping in view the importance of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) where a lot of opportunities for Pakistanis would be created to bridge the communication gap. She added that a ceremony would be held at the beginning of the course for students and teachers.

To a question about the upgrade Pilac has recently done at its Punjab Museum, Ms Sadaf said the museum reflected Punjab’s cultural heritage. In the first phase of upgrade, she said, classical poetry books by eminent Sufi poets of Punjab had been added to the museum and the addition of these classical poetry books was of immense value for the collection of the museum.

Sughra Sadaf added that some big scale paintings made by noted artist Aslam Kamal, depicting poetry of different Sufi poets from Punjab, were also a part of the museum. Bulleh Shah’s line Ilmoo Bas Kareen O Yar, Sultan Bahu’s verse Alif Allah Chambay Di Booti and verses of Mian Muhammad Bakhsh had been illustrated by Kamal, she said and added that a large painting depicting Sufi Poets of Punjab had also been put on display at the Museum recently.

Published in Dawn, June 25th, 2022