The languages of history
In Pakistan, there are not many writers who write about history in Urdu or any other regional language, with an independent and objective lens. But there are certain writers who…
Promoting mother languages
The Indus Cultural Forum (ICF) has been organizing the Pakistan Mother Languages Literature (PMLL) Festival in Islamabad for the last eight years. It coincides with the International Mother Language Day…
The ignored Dardic languages
Pakistan is home to over 70 languages. Some ten of them are widely spoken; the remaining ones are struggling to survive. In the north of Pakistan, there is a vast…
Celebrating languages
It is not all doom and gloom in this country as some pundits would like you to believe. Yes, there are challenges, and there are warmongers, but there are also…
SNC and languages
Since the Single National Curriculum was made public by the incumbent government a rigorous debate has emerged, involving prominent experts in education and language policies. The critics deem the SNC…
Campaigning for languages
Pakistan is often seen as, and rightly so, a hard country for campaigns. Campaigns, whether on human rights, education, civil liberty, constitutional rights; on environment, culture or languages often face…
Revitalising endangered languages
Efforts towards revitalising endangered languages have gained global significance. There are now hundreds of endangered languages. Though languages died in all epochs, the rapid decline of diversity is very unique…
Languages: mine and ours
Diversity is a complex phenomenon and the term itself connotes many things. It could be either perceptive or objective. Although it appears to have positive connotations, the term could lead…
Languages on death row
Pathanay Khan was already in his mid-forties when his melodious voice crossed the walls of the Sufi shrine of Suleman Shah at Taunsa Sharif. This is where he used to…
Saving local languages
The cabinet division recently issued a letter to other federal departments directing them to use Urdu in their public and official correspondence. The directive also states that the president, prime…
