Hindko moot from November 19

The holding of a two-day grand Hindko conference in Peshawar from November 19 to 20 will boost the work being done for the preservation and promotion of Hindko language and culture.
Gandhara Hindko Board (GHB) Vice-chairman Assistant Professor Dr Adnan Gul stated this while addressing a press conference at the Peshawar Press Club on Wednesday.
Flanked by the board's other office-bearers including Secretary Mohammad Ziauddin, the noted cardiologist said the arrangements had been finalised for holding the conference in a befitting manner.
"Almost 90 percent of the foreign delegates have confirmed their participation to the moot," he said, adding the scholars of other languages such as Sindhi, Balochi, Brahvi and Seraiki would also attend the programme, which was the first of its kind in the contemporary history of the Hindko language.
He said papers would be read out on different aspects of the Hindko language and Hindkowan culture. "The participation of literati from different parts of the country and abroad will help co-ordinate the work being undertaken for the preservation and promotion of Hindko language and culture," he hoped.
A grand Hindko Mushaira (poetic reading session) would also be held in the historic Gor Gathri in the heart of the Peshawar City on the fist day of the conference, he said.
Adnan disclosed that NWFP Governor Khalilur Rehman, Chief Minister Akram Khan Durrani, State Minister for Human Resource Development Dr Nasim Ashraf, State Minister for Information and Broadcasting Anila Zab Tahirkheli and Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Sheikh Rashid Ahmad were expected to grace the occasion.
Deploring the official neglect of Hindko, Adnan said: "Hindko is an important and ancient language of the region, which is spoken not only in Peshawar, Kohat, Nowshera and Hazara areas of the NWFP, but also in Pothwar (Northern Punjab) and Kashmir regions. But it is a regrettable to note that successive governments paid no attention to this language, leaving its precious literary heritage to die down" bit by bit.
The GHB vice-chairman said Hindko was the second largely spoken language of the province, but was deprived of official patronage. "There is no Hindko Academy, Department for Hindko Studies and Hindko Adabi Board in the official sector. The demand for a Hindko Academy was raised in 1962 which was accepted in 1987 when the sixth Ahle Qalam Conference held in Islamabad under the auspices of the Pakistan Academy of Letters passed an unanimous resolution calling for setting up of a Hindko Academy, but the resolution has remained unimplemented to date."
"A decision to set up the Department for Hindko Studies at the University of Peshawar was taken in 1997, but never materialised," he said, adding a Hindko Adabi Board in the government sector was also anxiously awaited.
Adnan pointed out that more than once academy, department for language studies and Adabi boards were functioning in other province, but Hindko was getting a raw deal in this regard in the NWFP.
Disturbed at the official apathy to Hindko, he said, the literary-cum-cultural organisation, the GHB was launched way back in 1993 to work in organised way for giving a new life to Hindko language and culture.
Enumerating the achievements of the board, he said the body had published 14 Hindko books on different genres of the literature that also included the first-ever Hindko dictionary. "We have recently produced an album of the Hindko folk songs and an audio cassette of the Hindko Naats."
Literary journal "Hindkowan" is published regularly while the literary sitting held every Tuesday to evaluate critically the literature being produced. "The work on the versified translation of the Holy Quran is in the final stages", he said, adding all this was made possible with the help of the Hindko lovers who gave time and financial resources to the board to accomplish the task.