A group of poets and writers from Badakhshan has called on the Ministry of Information and Culture to support the preservation and development of local languages and to assist with the publication of their works.

They say that local languages in this province are at risk of extinction, and due to economic challenges, they cannot afford to publish their works.

Writer Ahmad Nabil Qazizada said: “We request that the Ministry of Information and Culture support poets who lack the financial means to publish their books so that their works can be printed.”

Poet and writer Farid Habibi added, “Some writers whose works have not yet been published ask that the government cooperate in this regard, so these cultural and artistic works are not lost.”

At a meeting held in Faizabad, attended by the Deputy Minister of Culture and Arts of the Ministry of Information and Culture, poets and writers discussed their cultural challenges and the need to preserve local languages.

Writer Iqbal Hossam said in this meeting, “If these languages are not given attention, they will move towards extinction, and various factors have placed these languages at risk.”

Zabihullah Amiri, head of Badakhshan’s Information and Culture Department, said, “Many poets in Badakhshan have valuable works in their personal collections, but due to lack of funding, they are unable to publish them.”

Attiqullah Azizi, Deputy Minister of Culture and Arts of the Ministry of Information and Culture, also pledged support, saying: “If these poets' and writers’ works hold national, Islamic, and scientific value and are free from prejudice, we are ready to assist in their publication; this is our promise.”

According to the Badakhshan Department of Information and Culture, more than 300 poets and writers and eight local languages are currently registered in this province.