QUETTA: A proposed provincial law seeking to place Balochistan’s language academies under greater government oversight has triggered strong opposition from literary institutions, with critics warning the move could undermine the autonomy of bodies promoting regional languages and culture.
The Balochistan government has introduced the Balochistan Regional Languages, Academies and Literary Societies Bill 2025, which aims to reorganise the administrative and financial structure of academies representing the Balochi, Pashto, Brahui and Hazargi languages. The bill, prepared by the School Education Department, was approved by the provincial cabinet earlier this year.
Under the bill, a Board of Directors will be established to oversee the administrative and financial affairs of the language academies. The board will be chaired by the provincial minister for education, with the secretary of school education serving as vice chairperson and the secretary of culture as the board’s secretary. Other members will include the secretaries of higher education and finance, heads of the language departments of Balochistan universities, chairpersons of the academies as well as language experts.
The board will be responsible for approving annual objectives, financial matters and performance targets of the academies, as well as monitoring their overall functioning. The Culture Department will supervise the academies, while the Education Department will provide grants and conduct audits. Employees of the academies will also be treated as government employees under the relevant laws. The proposed legislation has drawn strong criticism from literary and linguistic circles, which fear it will end the autonomous status of language academies and place them under bureaucratic control. Critics note that many literary institutions in Balochistan were established through self-help initiatives and that no formal consultation was held with academies during the drafting of the bill.
Opposition to the bill intensified when a joint emergency meeting of literary and linguistic institutions was held at the Balochi Academy on February 27. The meeting, attended by representatives of the Balochi, Pashto, Brahui and Hazargi academies and chaired by Balochi Academy Chairman Haibtan Umar, expressed serious concern that the government had approved the proposed legislation without consulting literary bodies.
Speakers at the meeting termed the bill harmful to the promotion of regional languages and demanded its immediate withdrawal. Pashto Academy Chairman Dr Hafiz Rehmat Niazi and Brahui Academy Chairperson Professor Dr Sosan Brahui said that ending the autonomous status of literary institutions would hinder efforts to preserve language, literature and cultural identity. The participants unanimously passed a resolution urging Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti and the provincial cabinet to repeal the bill and instead strengthen independent language institutions.
Representatives of these academies also met with Balochistan Governor Sheikh Jaffar Khan Mandokhail and informed him of their reservations. Mandokhail assured them that he would take up the matter at the relevant forums.
Speaking to The News, Haibtan Umar said that institutions such as the Balochi Academy and Brahui Academy operate independently under the Balochistan Charities Regulation Authority Act, with the government providing financial assistance only. He warned that imposing a Board of Directors with powers delegated to departmental secretaries would effectively end the autonomy of these institutions. “We all oppose this, and our demands are clear: the government should increase grants, as is done in other provinces, and withdraw this vague bill”, he added. The provincial government, however, has rejected the criticism, insisting that the proposed measure is aimed at improving oversight rather than taking control of the institutions. Shahid Rind, special aide to the chief minister of Balochistan for media and political affairs, said the government has a responsibility to ensure transparency in the use of grants.
“The government provides grants to these academies, and it is its mandate to maintain checks and balances on the utilisation of funds and other matters”, Rind told The News. He added that similar language and cultural institutions in other provinces and at the federal level operate under government oversight and that the proposed law is intended to place such bodies in Balochistan under a more structured administrative framework.
According to official details, a committee was formed on July 25 last year to review the activities of literary academies and societies operating in the province. The committee, headed by the secretary of the Culture and Tourism Department, included senior officials from the Home, Colleges, Finance and School Education departments along with legal officers and experts. Its recommendations later formed the basis of the proposed legislation.
