Sanskrit returns to Pak varsity, first time since Partition

The teaching of Sanskrit has quietly returned to classrooms in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan for the first time since Partition, with the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) introducing a course in the classical language. What began as a three-month weekend workshop gradually evolved into a full four-credit university course after the overwhelming response it received.

Dr Ali Usman Qasmi, Director of the Gurmani Centre, told The Tribune that Pakistan houses one of the richest but least-studied Sanskrit archives at the Punjab University library. “A significant collection of Sanskrit palm-leaf manuscripts were catalogued in the 1930s by scholar JCR Woolner, but no Pakistani academic has engaged with this collection since 1947. Only foreign researchers use it. Training scholars locally will change that,” he says.

The LUMS also plans to offer courses on the Mahabharata and the Bhagavad Gita. “Hopefully, this sets a momentum,” says Dr Qasmi. “In 10-15 years, we could see Pakistan-based scholars of the Gita and the Mahabharata.”

Dr Qasmi said initially, a weekend programme was offered that was open to everyone--students, researchers, lawyers and academics. “After we saw the response, we decided to introduce it as a proper university course. Even though the number of students is still small, we hope it will grow over the next few years. Ideally, by spring 2027, we should be able to teach the language as a year-long course.”

At the heart of the initiative is Dr Shahid Rasheed, Associate Professor of sociology at Forman Christian College, whose interest in Sanskrit began long before the LUMS approached him. “Classical languages contain much wisdom for mankind. I started with learning Arabic and Persian, and then studied Sanskrit,” he told The Tribune. With no local teachers or textbooks, he turned to online platforms, studying under Cambridge Sanskrit scholar Antonia Ruppel and Australian Indologist McComas Taylor. “It took almost a year to cover classical Sanskrit grammar. And I’m still studying it.”

After Dr Qasmi reached out, Dr Rasheed took a sabbatical from FC College to teach the course at the LUMS. “I mainly teach grammar. When I was teaching ‘subhashitas’, the wisdom verses or shlokas, many of my students were fascinated to discover that so many Urdu words come from Sanskrit. Many didn’t even know that Sanskrit was different from Hindi. In the first week, they found it a challenging language. But once they grasped the logical structure, they started enjoying it. The pleasure of solving something difficult is immense,” he says.

“Modern languages derive from classical traditions. There is just a veil that separates them--once you cross it, you realise they are all our own,” adds Dr Rasheed.

Dr Qasmi explains that the initiative also aligns with the university’s broader language ecosystem, which includes Sindhi, Pashto, Punjabi, Baluchi, Arabic and Persian. “We understand the importance of connecting with this incredible tradition, which is part of the Pakistani-Indian global heritage. So much of our literature, poetry, art and philosophy go back to the Vedic age. Many historians believe that the Vedas were written in this region. It then becomes even more important to read the classical texts in their original language.”

Despite the political sensitivities involved, both scholars believe the intellectual climate is shifting. Dr Rasheed often encounters curiosity about his own study of the language. “People ask me why I’m learning Sanskrit. I tell them, why should we not learn it? It is the binding language of the entire region. Sanskrit grammarian Panini’s village was in this region. Much writing was done here during the Indus Valley Civilisation. Sanskrit is like a mountain--a cultural monument. We need to own it. It is ours too; it’s not tied to any one particular religion.”

“If we want people to come closer, then it’s essential to understand and absorb our rich classical traditions. Imagine if more Hindus and Sikhs in India started learning Arabic, and more Muslims in Pakistan took up Sanskrit, it could be a fresh, hopeful start for South Asia, where languages become bridges instead of barriers,” concludes Dr Rasheed.