Why is Sanskrit being taught at a Pakistani University? The real reason revealed

The university says that Sanskrit is a shared civilizational heritage of the entire region. Understanding it academically is essential.

Post Published By: Sujata Biswal

Updated : 18 December 2025, 4:37 PM IST

Sanskrit taught at Pakistani University

Islamabad: For the first time since the partition of India, a formal Sanskrit course has been started at a university in Pakistan. Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) has launched a four-credit Sanskrit course.

The university says that Sanskrit is a shared civilizational heritage of the entire region. Understanding it academically is essential.

The university stated that it is important to understand Sanskrit academically. According to the university, rich but neglected academic documents related to Sanskrit exist in Pakistan.

It is said that hundreds of palm-leaf manuscripts of Sanskrit are preserved in the Punjab University library. The university believes that if Sanskrit is taught locally, research on these manuscripts will be possible.

Course on Bhagavad Gita to be offered in Pakistan
Notably, Professor Shahid Rashid of the Sociology department played a key role in introducing Sanskrit at this Pakistani university. It is reported that the university is also preparing to launch courses on texts like the Mahabharata and the Bhagavad Gita in the future. The administration says that Sanskrit is not the language of any one religion, but a cultural heritage of the entire South Asia.