PESHAWAR: Two books published by the Gandhara Hindko Academy have won literary awards from the Pakistan Academy of Letters for the year 2018. The awarded publications are a Hindko language poetry book, "Peepal Watrey" and novel titled "Shaam-e-Alam". The first book is of poetry by a noted Hindko, Urdu poet and lyricist from Peshawar city, Syed Saeed Gillani. The second one is by Nazeer Bhatti, a senior writer who has to his credit several books, television plays and film stories.

The publication has been penned to highlight the Qissa Khwani massacre committed by the British Colonial forces on April 23, 1930 in Peshawar by opening fire on the citizens which led to a number of casualties. The incident is an important part of the Independence Movement.

It may be mentioned here that the Pakistan Academy of Letters has also awarded in the past the Hindko language books published by the Gandhara Hindko Academy. The books awarded were "Pathar Daa Jigar" by Aftab Iqbal Bano, a Canada-based accomplished writer from Peshawar, and "Hasanat Jamee-o-Khisalahi" by Professor Hussam Hur who, too, is from the walled city. "Ghazwaat-e-Nabvi" (Peace be upon Him)", a book by Professor Malik Nasir Daud of Hazara Division, was honoured with the prestigious Seerat Award.

Other literary bodies such as Abaseen Arts Council, Pakistan Writers Guild, etc, have honoured as well the books and publications brought out by the Gandhara Hindko Academy. It is worth mentioning that Gandhara Hindko Academy has been working since 2015 AD in Peshawar for the promotion of Hindko and other Pakistani languages and cultures associated with them.

The Gandhara Hindko Board, a vibrant literary and cultural organization headed by a former senior civil officer and chief secretary of KP and Sindh, Ejaz Ahmad Qureshi, runs the academy under the Public-Private Partnership.

A noted Hindko writer, poet and research scholar, Muhammad Ziauddin, is the chief of the executive committee which plans and executes all the activities of the academy in consultation with other members.

As per the last population census, Hindko is the sixth main regional language of Pakistan, others being Punjabi, Pashto, Sindhi, Saraiki, Balochi and Brahvi. It is spoken in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, parts of northern Punjab and Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020