PESHAWAR: Cecos University and the Gandhara Hindko Board have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to promote and preserve the Hindko language through digital technology and artificial intelligence (AI).
Under the agreement, the Gandhara Hindko Board’s dictionaries, grammar books, translations and audio recordings will be used to develop datasets, AI models and digital tools at the Cecos University’s Centre for Digital Governance and Agentic Innovation (CDGAI), according to a statement issued here on Sunday.
The development follows the CDGAI’s third consecutive monthly symposium, held at the university’s Symposium Hall under the theme “Build: Together”.
The event brought together linguists, representatives of language organisations and AI developers to discuss the preservation and technological development of regional languages.
Mohammad Ziauddin, the Hindko Board’s general secretary, was also present on the occasion.
The symposium featured presentations on linguistics, challenges in developing language models for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s low-resource languages, and interactive activities, including a Pashto Bingo game.
Dr Amjad Saleem, a professor at the University of Peshawar, spoke on “Dialectal Variation and Language Preservation”, highlighting the need to develop inclusive language technologies without compromising linguistic diversity.
Sumayyea Salahuddin, a lecturer at the University of Engineering and Technology (UET), presented his work on the topic: “HindkoVirsa: AI-Powered Digital Preservation of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Hindko Heritage”.
Mohammad Uzair, representing the University of Peshawar and Tensor Minds, spoke on “Teaching Machines to Read and Understand Hindko”.
Mohammad Yasir, a lecturer at Sarhad University and PhD scholar at UET Mardan, presented his work on “Morphology-Aware Neural Tokenisation of Pashto”.
Mohammad Momin, a software developer at CDGAI, discussed “Torwali Meets AI: Translation Suggestions for an Endangered Language”, explaining how Verto is helping the Torwali community translate and verify texts in a language that had little technological support until recently.
The CDGAI operates as a specialised research, policy advisory and technology hub in collaboration with the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government. Its key areas of work include developing natural language processing datasets, tools and customised large language models to support low-resource and endangered languages of the region, including Pashto, Hindko, Torwali and Kalasha.
The centre works on smart governance solutions in partnership with provincial authorities, including civic technology, data-driven systems for addressing public complaints and real-time data visualisation dashboards to support public-sector decision-making.
Its other initiatives cover full-stack development, machine learning, computer vision and related technologies.
The CDGAI develops technology-based sustainability projects, including monitoring land-use trends through satellite data and supporting agricultural mapping across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Published in Dawn, November 9th, 2026
