CHITRAL: The literary horizon of Chitral witnessed a historic milestone on Sunday as the launching ceremony of the first-ever travelogue in the Khowar (Chitrali) language, titled “Sail Do Yu”, was held at the Chitral Press Club.
The event, which drew a large gathering of literary figures, scholars, and civil society members, was chaired by the renowned intellectual Professor Mumtaz Hussain, while District Police Officer (DPO) Lower Chitral, Mohammad Khalid Khan (Tamgha-i-Shujaat) was the chief guest.
The ground-breaking travelogue has been authored by the prominent writer, researcher, and recipient of the presidential accolade Tamgha-i-Imtiaz, Dr Inayatullah Faizi.
Addressing the ceremony, a galaxy of prominent speakers and literary figures—including Saleh Wali Azad, Zahoor-ul-Haq Danish, Farid Ahmed Raza, Javed Iqbal Javed, Maulana Khaliq-uz-Zaman, Zaheeruddin, Safiullah Asifi, Mohammad Irfan Irfan, and Shahzada Tanveer-ul-Mulk—paid glowing tributes to the author for his monumental contribution to regional literature.
Prominent writer, researcher Dr Inayatullah Faizi authored the book
The speakers maintained that “Sail Do Yu” is fully adorned with all the essential literary merits and artistic characteristics of a classic travelogue, possessing a unique narrative style that keeps the reader completely spellbound from the first page to the last.
They highlighted that the book provides a vivid, perceptive, and deeply analytical picture of the geographical, historical, and cultural landscapes of Italy, Spain, and Qatar—countries the author visited during his extensive journey spanning two months and 10 days.
The speakers expressed their unwavering confidence that this maiden travelogue will secure a distinguished and lasting place in the history of Khowar and Pakistani regional literature.
In his address, DPO Mohammad Khalid Khan stated that Chitral’s indigenous language, Khowar, is exceptionally vast, rich, and fertile, possessing an innate capacity to seamlessly encompass all modern genres of literature. It is due to this linguistic resilience and depth, he noted, that Khowar has attained a magnificent and unique position among the regional languages of the country.
The DPO further added that Dr Inayatullah Faizi’s latest work stands as a testament to the developed and modern standards of the Khowar language. He placed special emphasis on the urgent societal need to utilise language, art, and literature as effective, transformative tools to foster peace, tolerance, and brotherhood, while actively countering extremism in society.
The launching ceremony was jointly organised by the Chitral Press Club and the prominent literary organisation, Mother Tongue Initiative for Education and Research, which has also published the travelogue.
At the conclusion of the event, the participants highly praised Dr Faizi’s lifelong dedication to the promotion of Chitrali language and culture, unanimously terming the publication of “Sail Do Yu” a revolutionary step forward for the preservation and enrichment of Khowar heritage.
Published in Dawn, October 26th, 2026
