Kabul World Pashto Conference
The two-day World Pashto Conference (Oct. 08-09, 2009) in Kabul concluded on Friday with a special focus on education for the Pashtun people in Afghanistan and Pakistan and appealed the militants active in both countries to stop torching schools and other educational institutions.
The conference was arranged by two cultural and literary groups working for the promotion of the Pashto language in Kabul; it was the first World Pashto Conference in Afghanistan and the eighth of overall World Pashto Conferences; all of the previous World Pashto Conferences were held in Pakistan. The first World Pashto Conference was held in Peshawar in 1988.
Delegations and representatives of Pashto literary organizations from India, Pakistan, European countries, Gulf countries, Canada and the United States participated in the Conference. Several government officials, governors, members of Parliament, and tribal elders were also present.
There were four workshops in the Conference to discuss the problems the Pashtuns and their language – Pashto – has been facing in the world today. They discussed the overall situation of the Pashtuns, the lack of educational institutions for Pashtun children, the faults in the jirga system, and the apathy the governments of Afghanistan and Pakistan have towards the Pashto language.
There was a poetry reciting gathering on the first day and a music and dance session on the second day. Nearly all of the poems were about the current war-like situation in the tribal areas and Afghanistan and Pakistan. They said the war had destroyed not only their land and people, but also the history, culture, and the future.
At the concluding session, the participants unanimously passed a resolution which:
- appealed the anti-government elements on both sides of the border to stop torching schools;
- asked the governments of Pakistan and Afghanistan to support the Pashto language and work for its promotion;
- asked the relevant government institutions, literary and cultural organizations, and the civil society to cooperate with each other and find implementable mechanisms for the solutions of the problems the Pashtuns have been facing and for the promotion of the Pashto language; and
- asked the international community and the governments of Afghanistan and Pakistan to provide more and modern educational opportunities to the Pashtuns for their progress and prosperity.
Interesting notes:
- The Chairman of the first World Pashto Conference – a well-known progressive Pashtun writer, Salim Raaz – was not invited to the Conference. He told a news conference in Peshawar that the Kabul Conference was not part of the World Pashto Conferences and he didn’t know who had arranged it.
- All of the participants from Pakistan said they felt at home in Afghanistan because the country was their mother land.
- A speaker from Pakistan continuously used the term ‘Occupied Afghanistan’ for the tribal areas and the settled Pashtun-dominated districts of Pakistan (reminding the people that these areas are a part of Afghanistan but occupied by Pakistan).
- Most of the speeches and the poems focused on the current situation in the tribal areas and the worst conditions the Pashtuns live in.
- A Working Committee established the World Pashto Network and there was a demand for a World Pashto Conference every year.
- Several of the participants complained about bad arrangements of the conference.
Thank you Heran saib for publishing a valuable and informative article. Keep it up.
It was a great and Historic event in our great Motherland Afghanistan, but unfortunately I didn’t participate in the conference.
This is our main problem, cuz we dont know our relegion without knowing our language because we only listen to others and that’s how they give us wrong information and brainwash us, before they do that we have to read QURAN and HADITH in our own language by itself so we understand our life and others.
Thanks for uploading such an article.
Salaamona,
Thanks for sharing info,it was good to have an insight as a participant urself.Saleem Raaz must have had his own reasons for not participating,still it was unfortunate not to have him.I personally think we shouldn’t be critical of poor/weak management as it was the very first Pashto conference held since 1988.I firmly believe management will get better the more such gatherings are held.
Hairan saheb,plz dont forget to share the pics and videos of the conference,,utube could be the best source of sharing.
A thousand Salams to every one sharing this site.I happened to be representing India in the conference and am of the view point that given the circumstances under which these brave organizers made arrangements needs applause.
It was a 100 % unaided and unofficial effort.I personally congratulate M/S Yun, Karwan Zarin anzor and others.Lovely country lovely people and lovely brothers caught in the quagmire international conspiracies.may Allah help them overcome this situation
Thank you it makes me feel really good to see pashto language being recognised and taught in schools. Pashto language is a key to economy and for our children to be educated. Foregn languages will confuse our children and this will bring Pashtun on both side together.
Thanks for sharing, Hairan Saib.
It is good omenous that they didn’t invite Salim Raaz to the conference as this is the same person who once (probably last time) arranged World Pashto Conference in Peshawar on the same day when Afzal Khan Lala was organising a seminar on the unholy Durand Line.
I believe that Pashto World Conferences should, in future, confine their activities to language alone as the script, phonetics and grammar of Pashto language still need standardisation. For all practical purposes, study and research should be encouraged and financed to bring Pashto language to the mark. Committees should be formed for these purposes and the first task they need to do is to establish phoentic labs. in both Afghanistan and Pashtunkhwa.
Regards.
د خپلو ټولو کمزورو باوجود بايد داسې غونډې دوامي اوساتل شي۔
زه خو وايم چې د کوزې پختون خوا هغه حکومت چې ځان ته قام پرست وائي مخې کال له خپله يوه موخه دا اوګرځوي چې مونړ به دلته په پېښور کښې داسې يو کنفرانس جوړوو ۔
ورو ورو به په دې حقله ستونزې او نيمګړتېاوې له مېنځه ووځي
DA KHO DERA DA KHUSHALI KHABARA DA CHE DA kOZAI AW bARI POKHTONKHWA WRONA SARA GHARA WATAL PA AGHA ZMAKA CHERTA CHE DA 1 BAL SAKHA JODA SHAWE WO. DASI pashto conferenceS CHE KEGE NO INSHALLAH 1 WRAZ BA DAGHA LARYWALI DA 2 TARAFA POKHTANO NA LARY SHE. aLLAH DA lAR AW bARA pOKHTONKHWA SARA 1 LOYA pOKHTONKHWA KE aMIN.
Salamona!
Thank you for the article, I was guessing if somebody can share links of this conferences videos if somebody has uploaded them somewhere?
Thanks
@ Tahir
“… before they do that we have to read QURAN and HADITH in our own language by itself so we understand our life and others.”
somebody Pashtun tried recently to write Koran in Pashto – and received the death sentence under ’sharia’ for ‘no Arabic next to Pashto’.
why you can draw your own conclusions in terms of your: ’so we understand our life and others’.
Saalamona
It was a great event for pashtuns all over the world, that frm all nations pashtuns representatives gathered at this evnt and discuss the problems of pashtuns…..
I am glad to see that participants of world pushto conference have concentrated on pushtoons education, so that they could compete with advanced & modern world effectively & unitedly.
Hairan saheb,plz dont forget to share the pics and videos of the conference,,utube could be the best source of sharing.