PESHAWAR, June 8: The provincial government is planning to establish a directorate of culture for the preservation and promotion of languages being spoken in the Frontier province.

“The provincial government has recently constituted a task force with the sole purpose of promoting local linguistic and cultural heritage,” said NWFP Culture Minister Syed Aqil Shah while speaking as chief guest at the two-day second Frontier Languages and Cultural National Conference here on Sunday. Mr Shah said the government would soon set up a full-fledged directorate for the preservation and promotion of all languages and cultures of the NWFP.

The conference was organised by the Gandhara Hindko Board in collaboration with the NWFP Culture Department to promote languages being spoken in the province. NWFP Assembly Speaker Kiramatullah Chagarmati inaugurated the moot, which was attended by representatives of 30 languages of the NWFP and five languages of Gilgit-Baltistan.

The literati and cultural experts of Pashto, Hindko, Khowar, Seraiki, Goujri, Indus Kohistani, Yedgha, Kalasha, Ishreeti, Domeili, Gorbeiti, Kataveri, Gawveri, Kamveri, Torwali, Palula, Kashmiri, Ushojo, Broshuski, Domaki, Balti, Shena, Wakhi, Wanesi, Cheliso, Badeshi, Pahari, Urchuni, Bateri, Urmuri, Madaklashti, Kundal Shahi, Kulkoti, Pashai and Persian stressed the importance of their respective languages, and called for preservation and promotion of the linguistic heritage.

The presidium of the first session was chaired by NWFP Culture Minister Syed Aqil Shah, the second by the NWFP Assembly Speaker and the third session was chaired by Yousaf Shehzad.

Speaker Chagarmati said that all languages spoken in the province were inter-linked and should be promoted for national unity and cohesion. The languages were an asset and the government would make all efforts to ensure their development, he said.

JI leader Sirajul Haq said languages should be used as a tool to spread love and affection. All languages and cultures should be promoted without any bias, he added.

APP ADDS: NWFP government should take concrete steps for the promotion of languages and cultures of the province as unity is in diversity. This was demanded by the participants of the conference.

The gathering through 13 resolutions urged the federal and provincial governments to join hands to set up a Frontier Languages and Cultural Institute for preservation, promotion and revitalisation of all the languages and cultures of the province in an organised manner. It called for establishment of a Department for NWFP Languages Studies at all public sector universities to facilitate higher research on native languages and literatures.

To set up Sarhad Adabi Board was another demand to facilitate publication of books and periodicals. The participants called for arrangements to adopt native languages as a medium of instruction at primary level for the speakers of respective languages. They demanded due and fair coverage to various languages by the state-run radio and television.

One resolution sought official celebration of the anniversaries of great mystic poets of native languages and setting up of chairs at public sector universities. They demanded introduction of local languages in the ‘mother tongue column’ in the census forms so that exact tally of the speakers of various languages could be determined.

A resolution stressed that the NWFP Assembly members should b allowed to address the assembly proceedings in their mother languages, and NWFP should be renamed only after taking into confidence all the linguistic groups of the province who were the genuine stakeholders.