Technocrat seat for Hunza not enough

GBE Watch

GILGIT, Dec. 14: Chief Organizer of Progressive Youth Front and member of the Hunza Action Committee Baba Jan has said the allocation of one technocrat seat for Hunza was not enough to end the 35 years long deprivation and injustices with the people of the valley. He said the demand of the people of Hunza was allocation of a regular seat in the legislative assembly, adding his party would continue struggle for the rights of the area.Talking to this correspondent, Baba Jan said for the last over 35 years the people of the valley have been meted out step-motherly treatment. He said by not fulfilling the long-standing demand of the people of the valley about one seat, the government ahs done yet another injustice with the people. He said the forthcoming seat was the product of rigging and by allocating it to the area the PPP was trying to rub salt into our wounds.He warned that if the government tried to ignore the demand of the area for additional seat, its results would be disastrous.Baang Weekly

Steps urged to promote Wakhi language

GBE Monitor

ISLAMABAD, Dec. 14: Pakistan's noted language expert Dr Tariq Rehman on Friday endorsed the aspiration of Pamiri people for protection and promotion of their 3,000-year-old Wakhi language and culture. He said a language endowed prestige and power on a particular community that uses it for everyday communication. Dr Rehman was speaking as chief guest at a seminar on the third day of Wakhi cultural festival at Folk Heritage Museum here on Friday."Your people are giving a call for the right to educate children in your own mother tongue, so that it is protected from becoming obsolete, and it is a cause we support."The linguistic expert recalled two warnings issued by Unesco about the danger confronting indigenous cultures and languages. It had said out of the 6,000 languages spoken the world, 2,500 were about to disappear or have already ceased to exist. According to Unesco, about 3,000 languages irrevocably lose their carriers every year. Smaller community languages face danger from globalisation which wants to impose a monolithic world culture, destroying pluralism. "This in turn provokes reaction of the kind that we find reflected in terrorism," said the linguistic expert. He suggested a three tier education scheme for education in mother tongue with a bridge opening to a more appealing language such as Urdu and rounding off with education in English. But the system must be applied uniformly throughout the country including in the elite schools.A number of Gojali scholars including Neelam Nigar, Amanullah Mushfiq, Nazir Ahmad Bulbul, Fazal Amin Beg, Adil Beg and Shambi Khan also spoke. They expressed the fear that in Pakistan their Wakhi vernacular faced the danger of extinction unless it received proper attention on the pattern of its conservation and preservation initiated in Xinjiang, China. There, they said, the Wakhi language was being used extensively through comprehensive research initiatives.Fazal Amin Beg said the Wakhi language belonged to the Iranian group of languages, assimilating a number of Persian and Arabic words, but recently it had been overwhelmed by the impinge of technology. He complimented women of letters who had contributed to the richness of the language by writing poetry and ghazals. Adil Beg paid tributes to industrious scholar Haqiqat Ali who was the first to publish the system of Wakhi language characters.Through a consensus, the participants asked every Gojali to speak their own language as well as disseminate it to a wider audience through the media.A Wakhi mushaira was also held on the occasion in which Nazir Ahmad Bulbul, Asmatullah Mushfiq, Hyder Murad, Faiz Rahim, Shambi Khan, Fazal Amin Baig, Abdullah Bai and Rehbar Khan took part. Nazir Ahmad Bulbul presided over the session,Weekly Baang reports.

Salgirah of Aga Khan (4th) Observed in Gilgit-Baltistan;

Mountain Lighting and illumination work turned valleys into twinkling garden; Special programs arranged to mark the day
VoH Report

By: Shamsuddin Muhammad

HUNZA, Dec.14: Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims, celebrated the seventy third birthday of Shah Karim Alhusainy, His Highness Aga Khan fourth, the contemporary Imam of community around the globe. He was born in Geneva, Switzerland in 1936 and succeeded sir Sultan Muhammad Shah (Aga Khan 3rd) at the age of 20. He proved himself the only leader of Islamic world in general and the Ismaili community in particular to lead them both in good and crucial times. He has devoted his life for the walfare of human beings without and consideration of race, culture, religion and ideology thus patronizing diversity, pluralism,brotherhood and virtue-the theme of Islam. Besides his philonthrapic work for humanity, he served Islamic community such a way hat has made the community
one of the most organized and prosperous communities across the world. Ismailies used to celebrate this unique event to show their adherence with a personality which is not only working for humnity but also has a direct link with Hazrat Ali, the very first Imam of Shiat faith. Events were organized at Jamat Khanas, community halls to mark the day with religious zeal. Speakers in their speechs threw light on the work of Aga Khan in all wakes of life. Special processions were arranged following Majalisis, the indoor programs to express its love and loyalty to their Imam and celebrate event openly. Mountain lighting and illumination work on Jamat Khanas and houses turned valleys like Hunza into twinkling garden.