By M Qadeer
LAHORE: The five-day 34th International Conference on the Sufi tradition from Baba Farid till Ghulam Farid in Lahore from 19th till 23rd January, 2025 has concluded oa positive note.
A joint declaration was paased was passed by the Declaration Committee headed by World Punjabi Congress Chairman Fakhar Zaman with members including Dr Deepak Manmohan Singh President Indian chapter WPC, Sehajpreet Singh Mangat, Prof Gurbhajan Singh Gill, Coordinators Khalid Ejaz Mufti, Jamil Ahmed and others.
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The following declaration was issued on the last day of the conference;
1. Punjabi should be a language of education in all government and private schools of Punjab starting from Primary class.
2. Punjabi should be a compulsory subject from Prep to Graduation level of education in Punjab.
3. Division of Province of Punjab is not acceptable under any circumstances since it will only compromise the unity and strength of the country hence the unity of Punjab is imperative.
4. Every year 14th March should be celebrated as Punjab Cultural day on government level and all government organizations and institutes must ensure that their officials wear traditional Punjabi clothes and promote Punjabi language in office.
5. Punjabi language must be recognized as official government language in Punjab.
6. All languages spoken in Pakistan including Sindhi, Balochi, Pashtu and Punjabi should be recognized as National languages of Pakistan.
7. All government officials in Punjab should speak Punjabi language in offices and those officials who arrive in Punjab from other countries or provinces should be encouraged & trained to speak Punjabi.
8. The cities, streets, roads, colonies and markets in Punjab should be named after renowned Punjabi heroes, Sufi poets, Punjabi writers, intellectuals and artists.
9. More than ten thousand Punjabi teachers, professors must be enlisted for teaching Punjabi in schools and colleges across Punjab.
10. Government must support and provide grants to Punjabi organizations, Punjabi newspapers and magazines.
11. Punjabi M.A, M.Phil & Phd must be granted jobs in other government departments as well apart from education department.
12. Pakistan & Indian governments must liberalize the visa policies and should make the visa process convenient for Poets, Writers, intellectuals and scholars.
