Punjab’s Minister for Human Rights and Minority Affairs, Ejaz Alam Augustine, said on Monday that special efforts will be made at the government level to include the Punjabi language in the curriculum.
Addressing a seminar, jointly organized by the Unique Group of Institutions and Aiwan-e-Iqbal Complex on International Mother Language Day (21 February) at Chairing Cross, Lahore, the minister said that all possible measures will be taken to make Punjabi language part of the syllabus, like Sindhi and Pashto.
He regretted that today Punjabis feel reluctant to speak their mother tongue.
“If we did not promote our mother language, it would become extinct with time, like various other languages of the world,” the minister warned.
Speaking at the occasion, the Chairman of the Unique Group of Institutions, Professor Abdul Mannan Khurram, said that Punjabi is a very sweet language, and all concerned should take every possible step for its promotion.
“No one should shy away from speaking one’s mother tongue, which is reflective of their culture and traditions,” he added.
Addressing the seminar, rights activist Saeeda Diep said that the public representatives will have to play a proactive role in the protection and promotion of the Punjabi language. She said that the elected representatives should take up the matter in the Punjab Assembly.
A great step indeed. Pakistan is a diverse country and all cultures and languages are bring strength to this country. Let us keep English and Urdu as national languages and register local languages as Provincial languages. For example KP should have Pushto and Hindko as registered provincial languages. Punjab should have Punjabi and Seraiki. Sindh (urdu and Sindhi) and Balochistan (Brohi, Balochi, Pushto) etc.
#UnityInDiversityInPakistan.