Tajikistan President Emomali Rakhmonov addressing the Tajik people in a congratulatory message on the occasion of language day stressed the need to promote the status of Tajik Persian language as a state language in the political, economical and social sectors of the country.

Tajik scholars and the public celebrated the day by attending various scientific conferences and the ceremonies and feasts held in parks and public places.

The language law was ratified on July 22 1989 at people's request, based on which the Tajik Persian language became the official language in the country.

In the past 12 years, despite the existing economic and social problems arising from ongoing civil war in Tajikistan, the law has been fulfilled remarkably.

Meanwhile, the Tajik Persian language was used not only in Tajikistan's scientific-cultural centers, but in administrative affairs as well, particularly at higher levels.

The recent broadcasts on Tajikistan television, watched mostly by Persian-speaking viewers, comprising 70 percent of the total viewers, are in Russian language.

On the other hand three more Russian television channels broadcast by Russia in Russian language are directly relayed and broadcast in Tajikistan, which is a main factor in weakening Tajikistan's mother tongue.

Before getting the law of Tajikistan's language ratified, the entire official and scientific correspondence in Tajikistan, as in other ex-Soviet countries, was conducted in Russian.

The Tajik Persian language is considered the mother tongue of the Tajiks who make up 70 percent of Tajikistan's population.

The remaining people living in Tajikistan are Uzbeks, Russians, and other ethical minorities.

The majority of Uzbeks constituting about 25 percent of Tajikistan's population also know Tajik Persian, thus it is considered as the major language of the 6,200,000 population of this country.

Despite all this, Russian language has kept its status as the common language among various ethics residing in this country.

Meanwhile, Russian is considered as Tajikistan's diplomatic language.

A number of Tajik scholars and intellectuals attending a conference here last week criticized the failure to enforce the law to adopt Tajik Persian language in government organizations instead of the Russian language.

At the conference jointly organized by the Presidential Supervisory Committee (PSC) and the Tajik Language Foundation assigned to materialize application of Tajik Persian language, the scholars asked for complete use of Tajik Persian language in the country.

The head of PSC Ghaffar Jureyov underlined that in surveys conducted on over 100 state organizations, it became evident that only five ministries in Tajikistan issue their documents completely in Tajik Persian language, while others still use Russian in their correspondence.

Referring to the pretext of the absence of proper dictionary on expressions needed in drawing up the official documents in Tajik language as a reason for the failure of the scheme, he stressed, "Every Tajik citizen is obliged to learn his/her mother tongue."

He also criticized the delay in putting into operation the two articles related to drawing up state documents in Tajik language which was expected to be achieved within ten years.

A famous Tajik scholar Mohammad Jon Shakuri also attending the conference criticized the Tajik mass media specially radio and television for ignoring the national language, and asked them to use it as a means for promoting and developing the Tajik Persian language in Tajikistan.

He said that another factor for the failure to implement the adoption of Tajik Persian language was the state employees' lack of Tajik language writing skills because of their long habit of writing in Russian.

Shakuri, who is also a member of the science academy, also referred to the threat posed by influence of Western words into Tajik-Persian language.

A professor from the linguistic department of Tajikistan National University Bahreddin Kamaleddinov referred to the rich Persian language scientific and technological books published in the Islamic Republic of Iran in recent years said that such works should be used as a reference for picking up the needed Persian words and expressions.

He further expressed regret over the state organizations' failure in meeting the 1999 deadline for conducting their correspondence in Tajik Persian language, and asked for taking legal measures against the violators of the law, ratified in July 1989 before Tajikistan's independence as per request made by a great number of Tajik people whereupon Tajik Persian language was chosen as Tajikistan's official state language.

Despite the initial target to have Russian language replaced by Tajik Persian both in state and general affairs within six years, the outbreak of civil war and other obstacles prevented its realization, and the deadline was further extended.

However, currently the majority of senior Tajik officials converse in Tajik Persian, and the number of subjects taught in this language in the Tajik scientific centers have considerably increased. It is also the commonly spoken language among the public.