KOHAT: The ‘Hindko Cultural Festival’ concluded in Kohat with the pledge to preserve and promote the Hindko language and culture. A Peshawar-based literary and cultural organization, Gandhara Hindko Board and Gandhara Hindko Academy had arranged the function at the Bacha Khan Library Hall. A noted Hindko writer, poet, research scholar and Gandhara Hindko Board General Secretary, Muhammad Ziauddin, was coordinator for the event. A known literates Dr Syed Matiullah Shah was the chief organizer while Tariq Mehmood deputy organizer of the program. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Member National Assembly (MNA) from Kohat, Shehryar Afridi, was the chief guest on the occasion. The programme was themed ‘Hindko culture – a symbol of peace’. The participants were from Kohat, Peshawar and Hazara regions. Among some of the participants were Ahmad Nadeem Awan, Arshad Siddiqui, Nazeer Hussain Shah Kasailvi, Prof Nasir Daud, Ajmal Nazeer, Raja Noor Mohammad and Dr Shahida Asghar. The speakers said Hindko was an important and second mainly spoken language of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). They said concerted efforts were needed to preserve and promote the language. The literati said it was our duty to transfer the language to our next generation in its original form. The participants of during a dialogue said that parents should converse with children in Hindko at homes as that would infuse a new life into the language. They said poets and writers had the foremost responsibility to promote Hindko language side by side with other languages which were a source of earning a livelihood for them. Muhammad Ziauddin said the Gandhara Hindko Board had been working for the preservation and promotion of the Hindko language and culture for the last 23 years. He said the board had recently expanded the spoke of its work and had included other languages of KP as well in its literary and cultural activities. He said the board had published over 100 books on various gentres of the Hindko literature and was bringing out several journals. Dr Syed Matiullah Shah talked about importance of the Hindko language and culture. He said Kohat had produced legends literary figures like Ahmad Faraz, Muhammad Rusum Kiyani and several others whose work stood widely acknowledge. He expressed happiness at the response the festival had received and gave its credit to all the organizing team members. MNA Shehryar Afridi said mothers were the real custodians of culture and they should train children in loving the respective languages. He said all the languages native to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were like a bouquet of flowers which commanded respect and required efforts for promotion. The PTI legislator, who is a familiar face on the private television talk shows and is seen vigorously defending his party policies, received a huge applause when he switched his medium of speech from Urdu to Hindko language. Shehryar Afridi praised the Gandhara Hindko Board, Gandhara Hindko Academy and Kohat chapter of the literary body for arranging such a colorful programme to highlight the Hindko language and culture importance. He pledged all help in promotion of such literary and cultural pursuits. The organizers had divided the cultural festival into various segments as such as folk songs, music, traditional dance, skits and mushaira or poetry recital session. The songs and poems rendered by Abdul Hameed Hameedi, Qadir Jan, Qayyum Shahd, Shafiq Anwar, Mohammad Ramazan, Mariam Hussain, Khan Zamn Azam and Ashiq Hussain enthralled the audience. Professor Shujaat Ali Rahu, Mohammad Israr, Masoom Shah, Shamsul Islam, Arshad naeem, Irman Talib and others recited Hindko poetry and won acclaim. The Radio Pakistan Kohat station presented a skit ‘Babu Sahib’ played by Mastan Gul which was appreciated by the audience. The schoolchildren performed a dance to the Hindko music tune. A Hindko proverb quiz competition was also conducted. Prizes were given to the people who explained them fittingly. Raza Kazmi along with children of his school highlighted the vanishing customs of marriages.