PESHAWAR: Finally, the Department of Pashto started working at Abdual Wali Khan University (AWKU) Mardan after three years of struggle by Professor Dr Ihsan Ali, Vice Chancellor (VC) and founding member of the university. The university was established in 2009 and it has around 30 departments of different disciplines. Around 80 admission forms have been received by the Pashto department for admission in the first batch whereas 42 students admitted under the annual program at the department this year. Talking to Daily Times, Assistant Professor at the department Dr Zafarullah Bashkhali claimed that the department would cater for the needs of thousands students of the Pashto language and literature in Mardan, the second biggest city after Peshawar in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).