PESHAWAR, Jan 13: Speakers at a book launching ceremony have urged the Hindko scholars to make their language a source of literature and enrich it with new techno-scientific and philosophical ideas.

Speaking at the launching ceremony of the book "Urdu Zuban Ka Makhiz Hindko" (Hindko being origin of the Urdu language), a research work of Prof Khatir Ghaznavi, on Monday here at the Nishtar Hall, they said Hindko was an oldest language, but it had yet to achieve the status of a national language. "Hindko must produce its own Rehman Baba, Buleh Shah and Shah Latif so that it could match the level of other national languages," they added.

The event was organized by the Gandhara Hindko Board Pakistan, Peshawar, which had also published a Hindko dictionary last year. Referring to the main contents of the book, NWFP Governor Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah said it could be a tall claim that Hindko was the primitive form of the Urdu, however, Khatir Ghaznavi had initiated a debate in the literary circles by making the claim.

He said it was a good breakthrough which would open up a range of new vistas for the scholars in the future. The papers read out by the speakers enhanced the knowledge about the Hindko language and its impact on the other regional dialects, he observed.

Mr Shah said that it was too early to set up a separate Hindko language department or chair at any university of the province. He asked the event organizers to compile a comprehensive and an authentic dictionary of the Hindko language and its grammar first and then make other demands.

Prof Ghaznavi denied that Hindko was from the lineage of Hind Arian languages. He said it was called Sindhko, a language which had been spoken by the people settled along the both banks of the River Indus for centuries.

Prof Fateh Mohammad Malik, chairman of the Muqtidara Qaumi Zuban, Islamabad, asked the NWFP government to award a honorary degree of doctorate to Prof Khatir Ghaznavi, who deserved it.

He said Hindko was an oldest language, but it could not match the status of main regional languages for its present stagnation. "The Hindko needs fresh ideas, which should broaden its literary base and intellectual horizon," he added.

Prof Siddique Shibli disclosed that the present book was an abridgement of a thesis, which Mr Ghaznavi had submitted with the Allama Iqbal Open University, Islamabad, for his PhD, but it could not materialized.

He criticized the indifferent attitude of the universities towards scholars like Mr Ghaznavi. He said University of Karachi had awarded degree of doctorate to Ahmed Faraz, whereas the University of Peshawar, which should have awarded such a degree to Mr Faraz was silent over such matters. Dr Gohar Noshahi, MPA Rifat Akbar Swati and others also spoke.