LANDIKOTAL: Marking the International Mother Language Day, a seminar highlighting the promotion and preservation of the Pashto language was held at the Landikotal Press Club on Saturday.
The event was organised by Khyber Ulus and hosted by Aftab Pashteen Shinwari.
Awami National Party (ANP) district Khyber secretary general Sattar Afghan Shinwari, chairman Nazak Shah, Haji Khan Shinwari, Saddam Afridi, former custom agents president Malik Riaz, Amanullah, poets, writers, youth and people from various walks of life attended the gathering.
The seminar was chaired by chairman Shah Khalid Shinwari where participants reaffirmed their commitment to the protection and promotion of the Pashto language.
Aftab Pashteen Nisar Afkar, Wasim Akram Mumtahin, Qasim Shinwari and others spoke in detail about the importance and significance of the Pashto language. They emphasised that Pashto was not merely a language but a reflection of the history, culture, traditions and code of life of the Pashtun nation.
Aftab Pashteen Shinwari said that according to a survey, around 18,000 books were written in Pashto over the past year. He added that although more than 9,000 languages were spoken worldwide, Pashto held a distinctive position among them.
The speakers demanded that Pashto be included in the educational curriculum and made compulsory up to grade 12. They stressed that students should be provided education in their mother language at schools, adding that ignoring one’s native language weakened a nation’s identity and intellectual foundations.
The speakers said that developed nations have progressed by promoting their own languages, urging the government to grant Pashto a formal status in teaching and incorporate it into the curriculum.
They also emphasised promoting the speaking and writing of Pashto in society, including on social media and in daily life, noting with concern that many people were unable to write in their mother tongue.
International Mother Language Day is observed annually on February 21 to promote linguistic diversity, multilingualism and cultural heritage as recognised by UNESCO.
