For the first time since the partition of the subcontinent in 1947, Sanskrit, the classical language of ancient India, has formally found its way back into Pakistani university classrooms. This development marks an important cultural and academic shift, signalling a willingness to engage with a shared regional past that predates modern political and religious divisions. Led by scholars who argue that this heritage is deeply rooted in the land that is now Pakistan, the initiative aims to revive neglected archives and encourage a broader, more honest introspection into the region’s intellectual history.
The revival is taking shape at the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), which has introduced a four-credit course in Sanskrit. The course emerged from a three-month weekend workshop that attracted strong interest from both students and academics. Its approach goes beyond grammar and syntax. Alongside learning the language, students are introduced to Sanskrit’s cultural footprint, including exposure to the Urdu version of “Hai katha sangram ki,” the iconic theme from the Mahabharat television series. The effort consciously blends classical learning with familiar elements of contemporary South Asian culture.
This renewed engagement is also driven by the discovery of an immense and largely untapped academic resource within Pakistan itself. Dr. Ali Usman Qasmi, Director of the Gurmani Centre, points out that Punjab University’s library houses one of the world’s richest yet most overlooked collections of Sanskrit manuscripts, including rare palm-leaf texts. Catalogued in the 1930s by scholar J.C.R. Woolner, the archive has remained largely untouched by Pakistani academics since independence. For decades, access to these materials has been dominated by foreign researchers. A central aim of the new Sanskrit programme is therefore practical: to train local scholars who can finally study, interpret, and preserve their own historical inheritance, rather than leaving it solely in overseas hands.
Importantly, the initiative is framed as more than an academic exercise. It is also an act of cultural reclamation. One of the key figures behind this shift is Dr. Shahid Rasheed, Associate Professor of Sociology at Forman Christian College, who taught himself Sanskrit through intensive online study. His decision often invited curiosity and scepticism, particularly because he is a Muslim academic. Dr. Rasheed counters such reactions by stressing that Sanskrit is not the property of any one religion. He describes it instead as a “cultural monument” and a binding language of the region. To support this view, he points to geography and history, noting that Panini, the legendary Sanskrit grammarian, lived in this very region and that much of the intellectual activity associated with the Indus Valley Civilisation took place here.
“We need to own it,” Dr. Rasheed says, underscoring his belief that this linguistic and intellectual legacy belongs to Pakistan as much as anyone else. He argues that classical languages preserve wisdom that transcends religious and national boundaries. The vision does not stop with introductory courses. LUMS plans to expand its offerings to include dedicated study of major Hindu texts such as the Mahabharata and the Bhagavad Gita. Dr. Qasmi believes that within ten to fifteen years, Pakistan could develop its own group of locally trained scholars specialising in these texts, marking a fundamental shift in the country’s academic landscape.
Dr. Rasheed also sees broader implications for South Asia. He suggests that regional harmony could improve if communities made a genuine effort to learn one another’s classical traditions. He imagines a future in which Hindus and Sikhs in India study Arabic, while Muslims in Pakistan immerse themselves in Sanskrit. Such exchanges, he believes, could offer the subcontinent a fresh beginning, turning languages from historical fault lines into bridges of understanding. The return of Sanskrit to Pakistani classrooms is therefore not just an educational milestone, but a meaningful step toward acknowledging a shared past and opening pathways to intellectual and regional reconciliation.
