Daily Times

KHYBER AGENCY: To observe the International Mother Language Day, anawareness walk was conducted in Jamrud on Wednesday.

The activity was organised under the auspices of Jamrud Pakhto Adabi Jirga and scores of Pashto language lovers, poets, students, journalists and political workers participated.

The participants while holding placards inscribed with slogans in favour of the importance of their motherly tongue, begantheir walk from the Jamrud Press Club and ended it at Bab-e-Khyber to create awareness pertaining the importance of language.

Shedding light on the language’s importance, Professor Dr Tawab Shah Masroor said that the language was not only a source of inter-communication but also the identity of every nation.

“All languages of the world are important in one way or the other, but being Pakhtun, Pashto is a symbol of culture with a rich vocabulary and with millions speakingthis languageall over the world,” DrTawab added, saying that ironically,no efforts were being for the promotion of this language at both the national and international front.

All the language experts unanimously united on the single point that to appraise new generation of the importance of its mother language, education to children should be given in their own mother tongue, he maintained.

It is pertinent to be mention that in 1999, UNESCO in a unanimous proclamation, declared February 21 as the Mother Language Day throughout the world.

Published in Daily Times, February 22^nd 2018.