Some hostile elements trying to harm Urdu, Kashmiri: Dr Farooq

Srinagar, Feb 20: Stressing on the need to keep mother languages alive, National Conference President Dr Farooq Abdullah on Thursday said that “living nations keep their civilization and culture alive.”
On the eve of Mother Language Day celebrated every year on February 21, Dr Farooq said, “To protect our identity, we must sustain our existence, which can only be achieved by keeping our mother languages alive.”
He said that history bears witness to the fact that nations that forgot their language, culture, and traditions eventually faded into history.
Dr Farooq stressed that safeguarding all languages spoken in J&K is essential for preserving the region’s unique identity and Kashmiriyat.
Expressing concern, he said it is unfortunate that adversarial elements were trying to harm Urdu and Kashmiri by labelling them as regional or religious languages. He urged people to resist such efforts and ensure that these languages are passed onto future generations so that they, too, can protect and uphold them.
He stated that every individual must take personal responsibility for preserving all languages spoken across Jammu, Kashmir, and Ladakh, including Urdu.