UHE holds conference on Punjab’s Heritage and Persian Sources

Lahore (Wednesday, February 26, 2025): The Department of Pakistan Studies of University of Home Economics (UHE) organized a scholarly conference on Punjab’s Heritage and Persian Sources. The conference was attended by Professor Dr. Kanwal Khalid, Dr. Akhtar Sandhu, and Mudassir Iqbal Butt, eminent Sikh scholars and historians from Canada.

During the conference, the research papers exploring Persian-language sources from the Sikh era in Punjab were presented. In her address, Dr. Kanwal Khalid emphasized that a significant portion of historical documentation from the Sikh period remains obscure due to limited access to Persian literary archives. She underscored the role of archival research in deciphering official records from that era.

Dr. Akhtar Sandhu, Principal Islamia College Lahore, elaborated on the linguistic landscape of Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s administration, noting that Persian served as the official language of governance. He highlighted that the artificial separation of Persian from Punjabi in historical studies has led to interpretative challenges.

Dr. Sandhu further remarked that Punjab has historically been an advocate of women’s empowerment, where women have been regarded with respect and dignity. He also pointed out that while Punjabi was the regional lingua franca, Persian was the official administrative language, yet research on the Persian records of the Lahore Darbar remains insufficient.

Addressing the conference, Jasbir Singh, Canadian Scholar, announced a scholarship program to support researchers working on Punjab’s history. He stated that a Canadian foundation would fully fund research projects related to this field.

The conference was organized in collaboration with the Department of Persian at Lahore College for Women University. Dr. Iram Rubab, Director of Student Affairs, emphasized the importance of fostering both Punjabi and Persian languages in academic discourse.

Dr. Nighat Parveen, Rabia Asif, and Kiran Nadeem, presented their research papers, contributing to the academic discourse on Punjab’s rich historical and linguistic heritage.

The Sikh delegation also visited BIC where the exhibition was showcased on Islamic calligraphy called خطاطی مشق which was organized by Ms. Zainab Alim, lecturer VCD.