A five-day academic and cultural workshop on the standardization and harmonization of Pashto and Dari writing systems opened in Kabul

on 9 Rabi al-Awwal 1448 AH, a five-day academic and cultural workshop on the standardization and harmonization of Pashto and Dari writing systems opened on Sunday at the National Museum in Kabul.
The workshop was organized by the Languages Council Commission of the Deputy Ministry of Art and Culture under the Ministry of Information and Culture. It aims to strengthen the academic foundations of the country’s languages, promote consistency in their writing systems, and contribute to higher literary and cultural standards.
Sheikh Abdul Rahman Tayebi, Deputy Minister of Art and Culture, attended the opening session along with senior officials from the Ministry of Information and Culture, representatives of the Ministry of Higher Education, the Ministry of Education, the Afghanistan Academy of Sciences, Kabul University, and Kabul Education University, as well as professors, researchers, linguists, writers, journalists, and media representatives.
Opening the workshop, Hafiz Saif al-Rahman Mohammadi, Director of Public Culture, explained the purpose of the initiative. He said the Languages Council Commission had been established to provide the necessary support for the country’s languages and to develop and establish standardized writing systems for Afghanistan’s national and other languages.
Sheikh Abdul Rahman Tayebi spoke about the importance of language and knowledge, saying that human distinction is linked to both. He said the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is committed to strengthening and developing all the country’s languages and stressed that there is no place for linguistic, ethnic, regional, or religious prejudice within the Islamic system.
Mr. Tayebi said the enemies of the Islamic system have consistently sought to divide the people of Afghanistan by creating differences and discord among them. He stressed that the Islamic Emirate would not allow such efforts and called on the participants to provide their full cooperation in strengthening and developing the country’s languages.
The workshop also featured remarks by Professor Ajmal Azqali of Kabul University’s Department of Pashto Language and Literature; Professor Rozatullah Majid of the Department of Dari Language and Literature; Mufti Mohammad Halim Shakir, Director of Curriculum at the Ministry of Education; Professor Mohammad Masoom Hootak; and a representative of the Afghanistan Academy of Sciences.
The speakers noted that there are differences between the writing systems of Pashto and Dari. They said the workshop would examine these differences and work toward developing unified and standardized writing systems for both languages to ensure their consistent use in academic, educational, administrative, and cultural fields.
9/3/1448 AH
23 August 2026