An elementary textbook of Hindko language for school children has been published and handed over to the Khyber Pukhtunkhwa (KP) Textbook Board. The book is written by a noted Hindko writer, poet, linguist and research scholar, Professor Dr Elahi Bakhsh Awan who hails from the Walled City of Peshawar and has been living in England for the last 20 years.
The scholar did doctorate in Linguistics from the School of African and Oriental Studies, University of London and carried out extensive research on the Hindko Phonology. He has written many books and to explain various aspects of the language for the elementary learners in the 40-page primer, published by a literary, cultural and social welfare organisation, Gandhara Hindko Board.
The board has published 36 Hindko books so far, including two comprehensive Hindko dictionaries. It seeks preservation and promotion of the Hindko language, which is sixth main regional language of the country and second widely spoken language of the KP. Apart from KP, the language is also spoken in Attock district of Punjab and both parts of the Kashmir.
The book contains nine chapters. All the 50 alphabets of the Hindko language have been explained with great ease to the basic learners of the language with the help of colourful illustrations. The preface to the book has been written by a noted Hindko researcher and General Secretary of the Gandhara Hindko Board, Mohammad Ziauddin, who has termed the publication a laudable and pain-taking effort by Professor Dr Elahi Bakhsh Awan, the pride of Hindko. It may be mentioned here that the KP government plans to introduce teaching of various native languages at both public and private sector schools.