Pashtunkhwa National Awami Party Announces Province-Wide Events on February 21 to Promote Mother Languages

**Quetta (Qudrat Roznama)** – The Pashtunkhwa National Awami Party has announced that it will organize a series of events across the province on February 21 to mark International Mother Language Day.

According to a press release issued by the party’s provincial secretariat, ceremonies, seminars, dialogues, literary sittings, and public gatherings will be held in all districts under the party’s arrangements. The primary objective of these programs is to raise collective awareness about the protection, promotion, and practical implementation of mother languages, while presenting a clear stance on linguistic rights and strengthening people’s attachment to their native tongues.

The statement noted that February 21 is observed worldwide as a symbol of remembrance, respect, and the struggle for the survival of languages striving to preserve their identity. The party emphasized that a mother language represents the cultural soul, historical continuity, intellectual development, and collective identity of a nation. Societies that neglect their native languages, it said, often face intellectual disorientation, educational backwardness, cultural weakness, and a sense of deprivation.

The press release further stated that a central and comprehensive seminar will be held on February 21 at Takhtani Bypass in Quetta. The event will be addressed by the party’s central and provincial leaders, writers, poets, teachers, lawyers, student representatives, and other prominent figures from various walks of life. Speakers will discuss the historical significance of mother languages, the background of global linguistic movements, the role of native languages in education, and their importance in national development.

The party highlighted that early education in one’s mother language plays a key role in children’s cognitive development, comprehension, creativity, and self-confidence. Citing international research, it said that children who receive education in their native language are better able to learn additional languages as well. Therefore, it called for the adoption of mother languages as a medium of instruction at primary and secondary levels to ensure a uniform and quality education system.

In particular, the party demanded that Pashto be granted the status of an official, national, educational, and judicial language in the country. It stated that Pashto is an ancient language with a rich classical and modern literary tradition. Given the large number of Pashto speakers in the country, the language should be given practical recognition in government offices, courts, educational institutions, and media to ensure access to education, employment, and justice in one’s own language.

The party urged federal and provincial governments to formulate a comprehensive and effective language policy, give appropriate space to regional languages in curricula, focus on teacher training and the establishment of research institutions, and allocate sufficient funds for the preservation and promotion of languages.

In conclusion, the party appealed to its workers, intellectuals, teachers, students, and the general public to actively participate in the February 21 programs and unite in raising their voice for the constitutional and practical rights of mother languages. It reaffirmed its commitment to continuing the struggle for linguistic and cultural diversity, considering it essential for national development, democratic stability, and social harmony.