PESHAWAR: Prof Salma Shaheen has been reappointed as director of the Pashto Academy at the Centre of Pashto Language and Literature (CPLL), University of Peshawar, after the bifurcation of the centre into Pashto Department and Pashto Academy.
A notification issued on Friday said that the CPLL was bifurcated into the Pashto Department and Pashto Academy, which was established after the merger of the Pashto Academy and Department on August 17, 2009.
Salma Shaheen, who had been working as director of the academy for five years before its merger into the CPLL, was reappointed its director. The Pashto Academy was established for the purpose of publication and research on Pashto language and literature. However, in 2009 the academy and Pashto Department were merged into a new entity under the name of Centre for Pashto Language and Literature in 2009. Dr Rajwali Shah Khattak was appointed its director.

Hailing from Mardan district, Salma Shaheen has authored 18 books. She has been serving the Pashto Academy for the last 32 years. Being a PhD scholar, she is the recipient of the prestigious civil award Tamgha-e-Imtiaz.

Talking to The News, Salma Shaheen said during her tenure as director the academy brought out more than 75 publications including 40 projects completed with the help of Lok Versa. She said a cultural museum was set up at the academy with the help of the US Consulate at a cost of Rs25 million where 1,800 manuscripts were preserved and showcased.

Dedicated to the cause of Pashto language and literature, Salma Shaheen said it was her desire to establish a cultural encyclopaedia at the centre. About the restoration of the academy as a separate body, she said Vice-Chancellor Dr Azmat Hayat realised its importance and it was his commitment to the cause of promoting Pashto language and literature to provide an opportunity to the students to conduct research. She said the academy would be made a prestigious institute of research for the promotion of Pashto language and literature.The news