MUZAFFARABAD:Acting President of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Chaudhry Latif Akbar said on Friday that various measures were being taken at the governmental level for the protection and promotion of mother tongues, including the incorporation of local languages into the curriculum from primary to secondary levels.

He expressed these views while addressing a seminar as the chief guest on the occasion of International Mother Language Day, organised by the University of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (UAJK)in Muzaffarabad.

Speaking in his nativeGojri language, Mr Akbar pointed out that many languages worldwide had become extinct, and it was high time to take action at the household level for the revival, promotion, and protection of the languages spoken in this region.

He recalled that as the president of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) AJK chapter, he had committed to promoting mother tongues in the party manifesto during the last elections.

The acting president noted that major languages spoken in this region, such as Gojri and Kashmiri, were sustained by families who spoke them, but urgent steps were needed to promote and protect other mother tongues as well.

He expressed satisfaction that the Institute of Languagesat UAJK had made remarkable contributions to the promotion, protection, and revival of regional languages since its establishment. However, he stressed that more efforts were needed in this regard.

Addressing the seminar in his mother tongue, Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Kaleem Abbasi said that mother tongues held with in them the essence of culture, civilisation, and history, making their promotion essential for their survival.

He announced that courses in Kashmiri, Gojri, Pahari, Hindko, and other languages would commence at the Institute of Languages at UAJK from March. He also expressed his personal desire to enroll in the course and learn the Kashmiri language.

Mr Abbasi said that love for one’s language, culture, region, and country was a natural phenomenon. He also hinted at organizing another major programme for the promotion of mother tongue safter Eid.

Earlier,Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences Prof Dr Nadeem Haider Bukhari provided a detailed insight into theresearch-based contributions of the Institute of Languages toward the promotion and protection of mother tongues.

Secretary Elementary and Secondary Education, Inayat Ali Qazi, informed the audience that his department was undertaking various initiatives for the promotion of mother tongues, including the preparation of syllabi in the Kashmiri language from grade six to the intermediate level.

During the seminar, students of the Government Postgraduate College for Women, Muzaffarabad, presented songs in different mother tongues.

Earlier, a symbolic awareness walk was led by the acting president, joined by faculty members, officers, and a large number of students, from the central library to the education hall.

Published in Dawn, February 22nd, 2025