"Mother tongue is the cornerstone of the edifice of identity of any nation. In order to preserve the centuries old Kashmiri civilisation, we should protect Kashmiri language," CPI(M) state secretary and MLA-elect Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami said.
He said "the government must ensure that this language is made a compulsory subject to be taught upto standard X in all the schools across the state," he said.
Tarigami expressed concern over what he termed as the failure of the successive governments not fulfilling their commitments made on the floor of the House in this regard.
"Unfortunately those categorical assurances have not been implemented so far, resulting in uncertainty among the scholars, students and other sections of the society who feel deeply concerned about the future of the Kashmiri language," he said.