Hindko Academy resents non-allocation of budgetary funds
In a statement, the board's General Secretary, Muhammad Ziauddin, urged members of the national and provincial assemblies to recommend to Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur that discretionary funds be allocated to support the academy.
Ziauddin, a noted research scholar of the Hindko language, said the academy was established in Peshawar 2015 under a public-private partnership and had since played a vital role in promoting Hindko and other regional languages.
He pointed out that prior to the academy's establishment there was no institution in the province solely dedicated to the preservation and promotion of regional languages.
Highlighting its accomplishments, Ziauddin said the academy had organised seven successful international Hindko conferences and nine regional language conferences across various cities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, thereby fostering linguistic harmony. He added that the academy had published books and publications in 11 languages.
'Due to its outstanding performance and contributions, various academic and literary institutions have recognised the Gandhara Hindko Academy as a state-of-the-art institution,' he said.
Ziauddin recalled that prominent literary, social, and political figures had participated in the academy's conferences and widely praised its efforts.
However, he expressed concern that the academy had been facing a financial crisis for the past three years, as KP government funding was discontinued after July 31, 2022.
He reminded that Hindko was officially the sixth most widely spoken language in Pakistan and the second most spoken in KP, and thus its speakers deserved due recognition and state support.
Ziauddin called upon lawmakers to take special interest in the matter and urge the chief minister to restore funds for the Gandhara Hindko Board so that it could continue running the academy and its mission of linguistic preservation and development.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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