Pashto as official language

PESHAWAR: Different organizations working for promotion of Pashto language, culture and literature staged a rally on Sunday to commemorate the World Mother Tongue Day and urged the government to declare Pashto as the official language in the NWFP.

The rally was jointly organised by World Pashto Congress, World Pashto Conference and Pashto Jamhoori Taroon. Led by member of the NWFP Assembly Sikandar Hayat Sherpao, known Pashto literatus and columnist Salim Raz, Afzal Shah Khamosh and others, the procession started from Soekarno Chowk and after passing through Khyber Bazaar, it reached Qissa Khwani Bazaar where a public meeting was held.

The participants were holding banners and placards inscribed with their demands. They demanded of the NWFP government to declare Pashto as the official language in the province, make Pashto the medium of instruction and introduce it as a compulsory subject at school and college level.

The participants said it was a matter of satisfaction that books in the province at the primary level were in Pashto in the public sector schools but students at the private educational institutions were unaware of their mother tongue. It is due to the flawed and class-based educational system that the educated lot of the Pakhtuns is unable to write or read Pashto, said one of the speakers.

The speakers urged the provincial government to take measures for promoting Pashto language and literature. They said private organizations were trying their best for promotion of Pashto language and literature, but concrete steps were needed on part of the government towards that end. They also stressed fair treatment to other regional languages spoken in the province, saying steps should be made for promotion of other languages like Hindko, Khowar and others.