Zubair Torwali

Zubair Torwali is a Pakistani community activist, linguist and educator based in Bahrain, Pakistan. Torwali has dedicated himself to preserving and promoting Pakistan's Dardic cultures and languages. He has authored and overseen numerous books about the Torwali people and their culture.^[1] In addition to being an author, he is also a researcher and public speaker.^[2][3][4]

His book in English, Muffled Voices, provides insight into Pakistan's social, cultural, and political issues. Zubair Torwali is the Editor of "We Mountains" magazine which covers the culture of the Pakistani Himalayas. The author is a prolific writer of research papers and articles written for English dailies and weeklies of Pakistan.

Zubair Torwali also serves as the editor of "We Mountains", a magazine covering the culture of the Pakistani Himalayas. As a writer, he has authored numerous research papers and articles including for Pakistani English dailies and weeklies.^[5] He is the founder of Idara Baraye Taleem-o-Taraqi,^[6] an organisation promoting the rights of marginalised language communities of northern Pakistan.

Torwali is a member of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, a Fellow of Japan's 2013 Asian Leadership Fellow Program and was shortlisted for the International Bremen Peace Award 2015.^[3] Torwali is also a Public Peace Prize laureate "…for his extraordinary commitment to giving a voice to the unheard by helping increase literacy in the indigenous people of Northern Pakistan".^[7] He was awarded the 2012 Hellman-Hammett Grant by Human Rights Watch."^[8] In 2021, I.B.T. whose Director is Zubair Torwali was chosen for the Linguapax International Award.

Torwali graduated from Jahanzeb College in Swat, Pakistan, and completed his master's studies at the University of Peshawar.^[9]

Works

Books

• Vestiges of Torwali Culture by Zubair Torwali^[10]
• Muffled Voices, Longing for a Pluralist and Peaceful.^[11]
• Paradise Visage by authors including Zubair Torwali^[12]
• Torwali, Zubair (8 May 2023). "Using Children's Native Language Repertoire to Develop Literacy Materials: Early Writing in Torwali". In Riitta-Liisa Valijärvi; Lily Kahn (eds.). Teaching and Learning Resources for Endangered Languages. Brill. pp. 327–349. doi:10.1163/9789004544185_019. ISBN 978-90-04-54418-5. Retrieved 22 September 2024.

Academic journals

• Criterion Quarterly: Malakand Division: Conflicts, Floods and Response by Zubair Torwali
• Criterion Quarterly: The Ignored Dardic Culture of Swat by Zubair Torwali
• Journal of Languages and Culture: The Ignored Dardic Culture of Swat by Zubair Torwali
• Brandeis University: International Justice: Language Culture and Justice Hub: Zubair Torwali, Contributing Member]^[13]
• American Pakistan Foundation: Linguistic Diversity in Pakistan, interview of Zubair Torwali^[14]
• Aeon Essays: How Dardistan became one of the most multilingual places on Earth by Zubair Torwali^[15]