LAHORE, Jan 1: The Punjab government is creating an autonomous institute to promote Punjabi language and culture, and spread its message of love for national integration.

Its likely name will be Institute of Punjabi Language and Culture, which will be created shortly through an act. Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi will be its patron because of his personal interest in promoting the language.

A new building, depicting the Punjabi culture, will be built at the centre of the city for the institute, which will be run by a BS-20 director-general. It will function under the Punjab information and culture department.

Officials told Dawn on Wednesday that the CM had ordered the establishment of the institute after a 20-member delegation of Punjabi scholars and writers met him for this purpose on July 20.

Following that, a four-member committee was constituted to work for it. The committee members then visited the Jamshoro University and the Institute of Sindhiology, Hyderabad, to assess promotion of Sindhi language and culture.

"The entire spadework has been completed and the institute will soon be created through an act of the provincial assembly," they said. A detailed charter of the institute will be designed by a panel of experts, but its initial stated objectives would be to facilitate and patronize research activities and programmes regarding the Punjabi language, literature, art and culture representing various parts o6f the province.

It will also collect, preserve and arrange books of classical and modern Punjabi literature and set up a reference library with modern facilities and provisions for the common users and research scholars.

Besides, the centre will promote art and craft of the Punjab, project the province, its people, culture and folklore at national and international fora in their true perspective.

The Punjabi folk art, culture, craft and songs in their purest and simplest form will be preserved and books, journals, dictionaries and encyclopaedia will be published there.

The proposed institute will facilitate translation of the best literature of Urdu, English and other languages into Punjabi, develop and encourage culture of tolerance, peace and love as preached by the Sufi poets of the Punjab.

It will also aim at enriching the Punjabi language, enabling it to absorb into its folds advancements in science, technology and the dynamics of modern society, and to serve as a source of broadening the scope, usages and dimensions of Urdu.