Importance of local languages highlighted

PESHAWAR:

Advisor to the Prime Minister on Political and Public Affairs, National Heritage and Culture Division Engr Amir Muqam on Wednesday underscored the need for promotion of regional languages and literature for a well-informed, educated, and knowledgeable society.

Speaking at the inauguration of the newly-constructed building of the Provincial Office of Pakistan Academy of Letters (PAL) at Hayatabad, he said that regional languages, literature, culture and art defined identity of a nation and the government had been taking measures for promoting them to create a knowledgeable, educated and well-informed society.

Amir Muqam, who is also the President of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Khyber-Pakthunkhwa, said the nations that achieved heights of progress and development had a complete command on their national as well as regional languages and literature and they loved traditional art.

“Developed nations do not forget their heritage, art, and culture, and they feel proud of their artists,” he added.

He said great Pashto poets such as Rehman Baba, Khushal Khan Khattak, Amir Hamza Khan Shinwari, Dr Azam Azam, and Hafiz Alpuri promoted peace, brotherhood and interfaith harmony through their poetry and brought people closer.

Muqam directed PAL officials to work for promotion of regional languages, poetry and literature, including Pashto, Hindko and Saraiki so that the youth of K-P could be acquainted with regional languages, literature, art, and cultural.

The PM aide said K-P was a home to Ghandara Civilization with great diversity in art, culture and languages and PAL was needed to a play a leading role for its promotion.

The people of K-P, especially of Malakand Division and merged districts, had paid heavy price in war on terror as their loved ones were martyred, properties were destroyed and hundreds of thousands were displaced from native towns for the sake of durable peace in Pakistan, he added.

Muqam said the people of K-P including merged tribal districts had faced the menace of terrorism and militancy with great courage, determination and steadfastness and kept the flag of Pakistan hoisted.

The advisor said he continuously served people despite several terrorists and suicide attacks made on him, and vowed to continue his services for the countrymen.

Muqam said that PML-N government had revolutionized the transport sector by constructing networks of motorways and highways to facilitate people from Chitral to Karachi, and from Gawadar to Waziristan.

He said former prime minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif deserved full credit and appreciations for completing the long-awaited Lowari Tunnel project that provided all-weather travelling facilities to people of Chitral.Muqam said Malakanad division, especially Swat, was a home to Ghandara civilization where every stone told some excerpts of history. He urged poets and writers to highlight Pakistan especially K-P's rich culture for not only educating the people but also to promote tourism.

Congratulating senior officers of his ministry and PAL on completion of the academy’s provincial office, he said it was a gift of PML-N government for people of K-P that would become a great centre of learning.

In second session of the inaugural, titled ‘75 Years of Pakistani and Pashto Literature in K-P’, Amir Muqam unveiled selected books of different languages, including Urdu, Pashto and Hindko literature published by PAL.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 18^th, 2022.