A new beginning: Gandhara Hindko Academy starts operations

K-P government issues notification to kick off project

PESHAWAR:

Gandhara Hindko Academy has started functioning after the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government issued a notification in this regard.

The announcement was made during the executive committee meeting of the Gandhara Hindko Board (GHB), a literary, cultural and social welfare organisation, according to a handout issued on Sunday. It added that the board will execute the Gandhara Hindko Academy project as approved by the provincial government.

GHB Chairman Ejaz Ahmad Qureshi presided over meeting with committee members and staff in attendance.

The participants were told the government had notified the board of governors (BoG) of the academy under the chairmanship of K-P additional chief secretary. Members from GHB include Qureshi himself, Senior Vice-chairman Dr Adnan Gul, Vice-chairman Dr Salahuddin and General Secretary Muhammad Ziauddin. The higher education secretary, culture secretary and University of Peshawar vice-chancellor will be the government’s representatives on the board of governors.

Structure

The participants of the meeting were informed the Gandhara Hindko Academy project had been approved by the Planning and Development department in the Annual Development Programme of the current fiscal year.

The K-P Higher Education department is the sponsoring agency, while affairs of the academy would be run as per the PC-1 approved by the Planning and Development department.

As GHB is the executing agency of the academy, its executive committee members unanimously formed a body to run its affairs. The committee would work under the chairmanship of Muhammad Ziauddin, a noted Hindko language writer, poet and research scholar. Other members of the committee will include Dr Adnan Gul, Dr Salahuddin, Syed Kamran Shah, Dr Anwaar Fazil, Muhammad Faheem, Dr Samina Zahid, Khalid Khan and the Higher Education department additional secretary.

A director of academics and research will be selected by the committee. The committee will make appointments against various posts by preparing terms of selection and reference.

The participants of the meeting were told a building had been rented on Chinar Road in Peshawar’s University Town to house the academy. The executive committee also decided that literary sessions will be arranged at the academy building. In addition, the academy will arrange Hindko literary and cultural programmes in other parts of K-P where the language is spoken and understood.

It was decided to invite Governor Sardar Mahtab Ahmad Khan and Chief Minister Pervez Khattak for the inauguration.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 6^th, 2015.