Scholars discuss threats to local languages

Say there is a dire need for keeping mother languages at primary education level

ISLAMABAD:

The Pakistan Academy of Letters (PAL) organised a seminar titled ‘Problems faced by Pakistani languages’ in connection with International Mother Language Day recently.

Prominent Balochi poet Dr Wahid Bakhsh Buzdar presided over the seminar while a potohari writer Sharif Shad was the chief guest at the event. PAL’s Director General Sultan Nasir also spoke on the occasion.

Dr Manzoor Ali Veesrio represented Sindhi language, Iqbal Hussain Afkar, Pashto, Dr Qasim Yaqub, Urdu, Aamir Zaheer Bhatti, Punjabi, Ziauddin, Hindko, Muhammad Ashfaq Abbasi, Pahari and Sharif Shad represented Potohari language while other scholars represented their respective languages.

Read: ‘Punjabi language must be in curriculum’

Talking about the significance of local languages, Dr Buzdar said that the language has hundreds of years of cultural heritage, therefore, this cultural heritage needs to be transferred to the new generation through languages. ‘There is a dire need for keeping the mother languages at the primary education level. Language is also closely related to the economy, therefore, we have to commit today that we will try to save our local languages.

Sultan Nasir stressed the need for the promotion and protection of Pakistani languages, saying that it was important that local languages be considered as sources of strength and diversity rather than sources of conflict. “With the help of modern technology, we can promote Pakistani languages given the nation’s linguistic and cultural richness.

Nasir said that the academy is working on a priority to promote Pakistani languages and the platform of the academy is present for his purpose.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 23^rd, 2024.