PkMAP Holds Seminars Across Balochistan to Mark International Mother Language Day
QUETTA — The Pashtunkhwa National Awami Party (PkMAP) organized seminars and gatherings across several districts of Balochistan to mark International Mother Language Day, observed globally on February 21 as declared by UNESCO.
Events were held in Quetta, Qila Saifullah, Sibi, Muslim Bagh, and Zhob, drawing participation from central and provincial party leaders, district representatives, office-bearers of the Pashtunkhwa Students Organization, literary and cultural figures, intellectuals, and party workers.
Speakers highlighted the historical significance of mother languages, their constitutional rights, and the need for their implementation in education and official affairs. They emphasized the deep connection between language and national identity.
In Quetta, a key seminar was held under the chairmanship of Central Senior Secretary Syed Abdul Qadir Agha at a residence on Takhtani Bypass. Provincial Secretary Faqir Khushal Kasi, Deputy Secretary Rehmatullah Sabir, Professor Dr. Kaleemullah Khan Barech, PSO Provincial Secretary Waris Khan Afghan, Deputy Secretary Nida Singer, and Mubarez Khan Barech addressed the gathering. Noor Agha Durrani conducted the proceedings.
Similar events took place in Qila Saifullah, Sibi, Muslim Bagh, and Zhob, where party leaders stressed that a mother language is not merely a means of communication but the foundation of a nation’s identity, culture, intellectual freedom, political awareness, and social harmony.
Speakers argued that nations which adopted their native languages in education, research, and governance achieved academic and economic progress. In contrast, sidelining mother languages often led to educational weaknesses, cultural disconnection, and a sense of deprivation.
They called for Pashto and other national languages to be granted constitutional and practical recognition as national languages, to be used in official, administrative, and judicial matters, and to be implemented as the medium of instruction from primary to higher education.
The party urged the government to formulate comprehensive policies, allocate budgets, and take institutional measures to promote mother languages in curricula, official communication, media, and the judicial system.
Concluding the events, party leaders reaffirmed their commitment to continuing political and democratic efforts for the protection, promotion, and official implementation of mother languages, pledging to expand public awareness campaigns and strengthen future generations’ connection with their language, culture, and history.
