HYDERABAD, Feb 16: A large number of writers and intellectuals under the banner of the Sindhi Adabi Sangat held a demonstration outside the press club here on Thursday.

They were demanding the national language status for Sindhi, introduction of simple Sindhi subject in class-XI and release of poet Nawaz Khan Zaur and activists of nationalist parties.

Sangat general secretary Taj Joyo distributed copies of a declaration adopted by the rally.

The declaration said the Sindhi language was one of the oldest languages of the world with a history of thousands of years. It claimed that in India, Sindhi was one of the 22 official languages of the country and added that it was unfortunate that Sindhi and other languages like Pashto, Balochi, Siraiki and Punjabi had not been recognized as national languages in Pakistan.

The declaration demanded that all languages of the country should be given the status of national languages.

It further demanded that Sindhi should be introduced in all private and federal educational institutions as a compulsory subject. It urged the government to announce that Urdu-speaking students of class-XI would study Sindhi and appear in examinations of the subject from this year.

It further demanded that poet and Sangat member Nawaz Khan Zaur and workers of nationalist parties, including Sattar Hakro, Muzaffar Bhutto and Sikandar Soomro, should be produced in the court and released.

It said if the demands were not accepted, the Sangat would chalk out a programme of protests when its new office-bearers would be elected on Feb 19.

DADU: Members of the Sindhi Adabi Sangat, Dadu chapter, staged a demonstration here on Thursday demanding the national language status for the Sindhi language.