Urdu Dictionary Board

The Urdu Dictionary Board (Urdu: اردو لغت بورڈ, romanized: Urdu Lughat Board) is an academic and literary institution of Pakistan, administered by National History and Literary Heritage Division of the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting. Its objective is to edit and publish a comprehensive dictionary of the Urdu language.

Urdu Dictionary Board
اردو لغت بورڈ
AbbreviationUDB
FormationJune 14, 1958 (1958-06-14)
TypeScientific and Literary Institute
PurposeEditing and publication of the comprehensive Urdu dictionary
HeadquartersStreet # 18/A, Block 5 Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan
Location
Staff
55
Websitehttp://www.udb.gov.pk/

Establishment and objectives

On June 14, 1958, through a resolution of the then Ministry of Education, the Government of Pakistan announced the creation of an institution named "Urdu Development Board" in order to prepare a comprehensive dictionary of Urdu on the same standards and principles as the Oxford English Dictionary. The Board initially had the following staff members:

On March 27, 1982, the name "Urdu Development Board" was changed to "Urdu Dictionary Board".[1]

Operations

In 1960, the Board started publishing a quarterly magazine called Urdu Namah (Urdu: اردو نامہ) under the editorship of Shan-ul-Haq Haqqee. From then on to 1977, a total of 54 issues were released.

In 1977, the Board published the first edition of Urdu Lughat, a 22-volume comprehensive dictionary of the Urdu language.[2] The dictionary had 20,000 pages, including 220,000 words.[3]

In 2009, Pakistani feminist poet Fahmida Riaz was appointed as the Chief Editor of the Board.[4]

In 2010, the Board publiushed one last edition Urdu Lughat.[3]

In 2016, Aqeel Abbas Jafari has been appointed as the Chief Editor of the Board.[5]

In 2017, the digital version of Urdu Lughat was released.[6][7]

Since 2019, the Board was not assigned another Chief Editor, and 37 out of the total 55 staff seats were vacant due to lack of funding.[8]

References
  1. Jaʻfarī, ʻAqīl ʻAbbās.; جعفرى، عقيل عبّاس. (2010-03-31). Pakistan Chroncicle (Ishāʻat-i avval ed.). Karācī. p. 149. ISBN 978-969-9454-00-4. OCLC 643571356.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  2. Faizuddin, Munshi (2021-01-15). Bazm-i Aakhir: The Last Gathering - A vivid portrait of life in the Red Fort. Roli Books Private Limited. ISBN 978-81-951248-6-2.
  3. "Urdu experts have the last word". The Express Tribune. 2010-07-17. Retrieved 2023-02-20.
  4. Fatima, Nikhat (2018-11-22). "Pakistani feminist Urdu poet and writer Fahmida Riaz passes away". TwoCircles.net. Retrieved 2023-02-20.
  5. "Four babus retirement notified". The Nation. 2016-12-10. Retrieved 2023-02-20.
  6. "Urdu Dictionary Board launches 22-volume Urdu Digital Dictionary". TechJuice. 2017-07-04. Retrieved 2023-02-20.
  7. "اردو لغتِ کبیر اب آن لائن اور موبائل پر". BBC News اردو (in Urdu). Retrieved 2023-02-20.
  8. "Urdu Dictionary Board struggles to operate". The Express Tribune. 2021-05-08. Retrieved 2023-02-20.
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