The Gandhara Hindko Academy arranged a gathering and shared the Hindko language and culture promotion plans with the people from various sections of the society. Executive Committee members of the Gandhara Hindko Board, that runs the academy, professors from the University of Peshawar, doctors, engineers, bureaucrats, writers, poets and artistes attended the get-together.
Farhat Jabeen, the widow of a known writer, poet and research scholar, Professor Dr Zahoor Ahmad Awan, was the chief guest on the occasion. A known women rights activist Rukhshanda Naz and noted watercolorist Professor Dr Ghulam Shabier were the guests of honour.
Vice-chairman of the Gandhara Hindko Board, Associate Professor Dr Adnan Gul welcomed the guests. He said the organisation had been working since its launch in year 1993 to promote the Hindko language and culture. Vice-chairman of the GHB, Dr Salahuddin, said the Gandhara Hindko Academy had launched organised research on the Hindko language and culture. "It will go a long way towards promotion of Hindko which is the second main language of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and sixth of the country," he added.
A noted Hindko writer, poet, research scholar and General Secretary of the GHB, Ziauddin Siddiqui, shared with the participants the work done by the organisation for the last 22 years along with the planned tasks. "There was a dire need for a high forum to conduct extensive research on the Hindko language and culture. The Gandhara Hindko Academy has been set up now after a long wait to meet this essential requirement," he said, promising that the body would carve out a niche by dint of its research work on the language and culture.
Ziauddin gave out details of activities the Gandhara Hindko Academy had carried out so far and those planned in the first year of after its functioning. He also shared future plans with the participants of the function. The house was later opened for taking suggestions from the participants for promotion of the Hindko language and culture. A group of amateur singers entertained the audience with Hindko folk songs and won appreciation.