MUZAFFARABAD (Kashmir English): Prime Minister of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Faisal Mumtaz Rathore, has formally approved the observance of dedicated days for local/indigenous languages across the region.
According to the official notification, the special events, including seminars, conferences, poetry recitations, and cultural programmes, will be organised for the promotion of languages under the auspices of the AJK Cultural Academy.
The languages include Kashmiri, Shina, Gojri, Pahari, Kundal Shahi, and Dogri.
As per the schedule, Kashmiri and Shina Language Day will be observed on February 21, Gojri Language Day on March 22, Pahari Language Day on April 14, Kundal Shahi Language Day on June 10, and Dogri Language Day on December 22.
The literary and social organizations of AJK have paid tribute to the Prime Minister Rathore, Minister for Arts and Languages, Nabela Ayub, Secretary Kashmir Cause Syed Shahid Mohiuddin, and Director General AJK Cultural Academy Dr. Raja Muhammad Sajjad Khan for this initiative.
Pahari Language Day
Kashmiris around the world observed the International Day of Pahari Language and Culture today, April 14. This day is celebrated every year to promote, preserve, and highlight the Pahari language and its cultural identity.
Pahari language belongs to the Indo-Aryan language family and has its roots in ancient Prakrit and Sanskrit languages. This language is spoken in the districts of Mirpur, Kotli, Bhimber, Bagh, and Pir Panjal of Azad Kashmir.
In addition, this language is also spoken in the Jhelum, Hazara, and Murree regions of Pakistan, and in parts of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Nepal in India.
Although the eastern and central branches of Pahari, such as Pahari spoken in Nepal and India, are developing and literature is being created in them, the Western Pahari language spoken in Azad Kashmir and other parts of Pakistan has not been so developed, as a result of which the new generation of Pahari speakers is increasingly unable to speak and understand their mother tongue.
The preservation of the Pahari language and culture is a collective responsibility. For this, it is necessary that, like other languages, the teaching of the Pahari language should be promoted in educational institutions, literature should be created in this language, and steps should be taken at the official level to promote it.
