RAWALPINDI: Information Minister Maulana Kausar Niazi has said the best way to bring together the people of various regions of Pakistan is to make known to them the valuable cultural heritage of one another. In a message on the eve of Pushto Language Convention … he said language is the medium through which one can have a glimpse of a region’s culture and civilisation.

He said: “There is no denying the fact that ignorance about one another widens the gap between the people, while exchange of correct knowledge brings them closer. … Pushto is the language of freedom-loving and brave Pathans. … This is … one of the oldest languages of the world. On the one hand it is rich with songs representing its environment and the people’s thoughts and aspirations and, on the other, it can boast of … [the] poetry of Khushal Khan Khattak and Rehman Baba. …

“The region in which this language is spoken had been the meeting point of different cultures. This remained … the arena of the Aryans. … Later, it became the target of Greeks and Turks. … It was also the gateway of the Mughals. Having remained as the centre of different … civilisations, this region’s language became rich with niceties.

Published in Dawn, August 6th, 2024