Lalit Gupta
JAMMU, Dec 17: In light of the fact that majority of people living in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, (POK) are Pahari speaking, the visiting members of the Cross LoC Civil Society Dialogue, urged to allow frequent cultural exchange between Pahari scholars, writers and journalists from both sides of the Line of Control for enhanced people to people contact and understanding of common issues and concerns.
Pahari community and its language, is comparatively far more developed in Indian part of J&K than in PoK, said Dr Mohsin Shakeel from Mirpur and Dr Mohammd Sageer Khan from Rawlakot. The two members of the visiting team were speaking during a rare interaction between Pahari speaking people from both sides of the LoC, which was organized by Sayed Mushtaq Ahamd Bukhari, Vice Chairman, Advisory Board for Pahari Speaking people, here today.
Referring to the existence of bodies Advisory Board for Pahari Speaking people and an exclusive Pahari section in State Cultural Academy, that has given a fillip to the identity of the community and its modern literature, in Indian part of J&K, the duo of visiting PoK Pahari members, expressed their happiness to be able to meet and interact with so many Paharis at one platform.
Dr Mohsin Shakeel, basically a neurologist and editor of leading Pahari literary magazine ‘Chitka’, gave details of decades old struggle to get Pahari its due place in Pok. He also referred to the role played by expatriate Paharis living in England to resurrect the language.
Dr Mohammad Sageer Khan, a college lecturer in Rawlakot, spoke about how it took great effort to establish the Pahari as an independent language especially in reference to the dominating socio-cultural spaces already occupied in Pok, by languages like Pothawari, Kagani and Hindko. He said today Pahari has got its due place in higher education set up and scholars are getting Ph D degrees for research in Pahari language and literature.
Sayed Mushtaq Ahamd Bukhari, said that common language and culture is the shared legacy of people on both sides of the LoC and more of such interactions in future will certainly go in long way to creating mutual trust and cooperation between people on both sides of LoC.
Dr Farooq Mirza, chief editor Pahari, on behalf of J&K Cultural Academy, presented to the guests copies of Pahari translation of Holy Quran and other Academy publications.
Other prominent personalities present on the occasion included Thakur Rashpal Singh, Vice Chairman Kisan Board, Ravinder Sharma, MLC, Sehnaz Ganai, MLC, M R Qureshi, former MLC, Dr Farooq Mirza, Dr Shahnawaz, Abdul Wahid Manhas, Mehmood Choudhary, Swami Antar Neerav, Liaqat Jafri, Inaiyat Khan and Saleem.
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