Farooq Abdullah stresses importance of preserving linguistic heritage of J&K

Srinagar, Feb 20 (PTI) National Conference president Farooq Abdullah on Thursday emphasised the importance of preserving the linguistic heritage of Jammu and Kashmir, as he called for radical measures to protect and promote Kashmiri and other vernacular languages.

Mother tongue is a crucial aspect of culture and identity, Abdullah said, stressing the need to safeguard the linguistic diversity of Jammu and Kashmir, particularly by making the mother tongue the primary medium of instruction in schools, especially during the students’ formative years.

Highlighting the significance of the Kashmiri language, the National Conference (NC) chief noted its rich history of classical and folk literature created by poets, sages, rhetoricians, and linguists over thousands of years.

He also called for radical measures to protect and promote Kashmiri and other vernacular languages such as Dogri, Pahari, Gojri, Punjabi, and Shina.

He stressed the need for a comprehensive strategy to ensure the survival of these languages, including prioritising their inclusion in the education sector and providing special grants for scholars conducting research in vernacular languages.

The former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir urged parents to use their mother tongues as a means of communication at home, emphasising that communicating in one’s mother tongue should be a source of pride for all the residents of J-K.

“It is time to take bold steps to preserve and promote the linguistic heritage of Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.