Collective Efforts Urgently Needed for Gilgit Baltistan Languages

The Gilgit Baltistan Legislative Assembly has passed multiple resolutions in the recent past, urging the local government to take initiatives for the development of indigenous languages spoken in Gilgit Baltistan (GB). In response, the GB Government enacted an act in 2017-18 to establish an academy for the promotion of these languages and allocated a substantial budget. However, the implementation faced obstacles, primarily due to lack of pursuit from language enthusiasts.

In a recent development, representatives of GB language development organizations came together to initiate a joint effort. A meeting was held in Gilgit city on July 22, 2024, attended by two participants from each language community of GB, including Balti, Burushaski, Khowar, Shina, and Wakhi. A provisional committee was formed, comprising one representative from each group: Manzoor (Balti), Wazir Shafi (Burushaski), Shamsulhaq Nawazish (Khowar), Faheem (Shina), and Zahid (Wakhi). Wazir Shafi was unanimously chosen to lead the committee. The members were selected based on their availability in Gilgit city.

The committee aims to work towards implementing the GB Languages Development Act and has set a goal to publish a joint magazine featuring literature from each language, with separate sections dedicated to each.