ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s national language, Urdu, keeps us all connected to one another. Mother languages form our national identity and writers who produce literature using them must be appreciated.

This was pointed out by Parliamentary Secretary for Cultural Affairs Ghazala Saifi as she spoke at the 7th Pakistan Mother Languages Literature Festival.

The event was held at Pakistan Academy of Letters (PAL) on Friday.

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative Knut Ostoby said building local and regional networks for cultural preservation and promotion of diversity are essential ingredients to create a harmonised society. Pakistan is a diverse land filled with art loving people, he added.

PAL Chairman Yousuf Khush underlined the need for immediate measures to save languages, adding that several economic and social motivations result in migration which ultimately leads to languages dying out.

Last year, PAL documented facts and figures of local languages in a book and the federal government was fully onboard to take the project forward.

Prominent writer Nasir Abbas Nayar in his keynote speech said languages are not competitive entities but coexisting communication sources and they tie us together to stabilise society and encourage peace.

Indus Cultural Forum Chairperson Munawar Hassan said Pakistan is home to over 72 languages but the beauty of these languages is hardly known at the national level.

On this occasion, a book by Dr Manzoor Veesrio was also launched. The ceremony was followed by an award ceremony to recognise achievements of several legends including Noor-ul-Huda Shah, Zahida Hina, Sheeraz Tahir, Darwesh Durrani, Ghani Parwaz, Parveen Malik, Dr Nasrullah Nasir, Asif Saqib, Gul Bangulzai, and Hassan Hasrat.

This three-day festival, organised by Indus Cultural Forum (ICF) in collaboration with PAL, UNDP Pakistan and other partners including Culture Department Government of Sindh, Forum for Language Initiatives (FLI), ECO Science Foundation and others will continue on Feb 19 and 20.

Published in Dawn, February 19th, 2022