Some two-thirds of the estimated 7000 languages still spoken worldwide are in danger of disappearing within the next one to two generations. The loss of any language is not only the loss of the beauty of diversity but also the loss of history, culture, traditions, etc., associated with that language. The UNESCO Atlas has classified at least 27 Pakistani languages as endangered, including the Brahui language, the only proto-Dravidian language spoken in Balochistan and some parts of Sindh provinces of Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iran.
Participatory Development Initiatives (PDI), through its “Endangered Languages Preservation and Revival Program,” is engaged in preserving different aspects of endangered languages, including their folk poetry, folklores, etc. Besides, PDI is also involved in promoting and revival of those languages by finalizing and publishing their alphabet books, promoting the language reading and writing, finalizing the orthography of the languages, and creating consensus on the agreed scripts for those endangered languages. PDI is also engaged in advocacy with the provincial and federal governments for declaring all the country’s indigenous languages as national languages of Pakistan, earmarking funds for their promotion, and making primary education compulsory in mother languages in Pakistan.
