PESHAWAR: Two books published by the Gandhara Hindko Academy, Peshawar, have been selected for the National Literary Awards 2024 announced by the Pakistan Academy of Letters in recognition of outstanding literary contributions.Afzal Hazarvi’s book “Doohngiyan Sochaan” has been selected for the Sain Ahmad Ali Award in Hindko poetry. The author belongs to Haripur district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Ms Nusrat Naseem’s “Khuli Akhiyan Daa Khaab” has received the Khatir Ghaznavi Award for Hindko prose. The author hails from Kohat district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.Each award-winning author will receive a cash prize of Rs200,000.
It is noteworthy that the Gandhara Hindko Academy was established in April 2015 under a public-private partnership between the Gandhara Hindko Board and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government.
The provincial government initially provided funding to support the academy’s research and publications. However, official funding was discontinued after June 30, 2022, for unknown reasons.
Despite the funding gap, the Gandhara Hindko Board has continued to run the academy with limited resources, mainly through members’ donations. The academy has published 24 books even after the suspension of official funding, apart from bringing out journals digitally.
This is not the first time publications from the Gandhara Hindko Academy have received recognition, as it has previously been acknowledged by various academic and literary organisations.
