QUETTA: The first-ever comprehensive online dictionary for the Balochi language, titled ‘Labzganj’, has been launched and is now accessible to the public.

The digital dictionary, launched by the Balochi Academy Quetta under its Natural Language Processing (NLP) initiative, represents a historic milestone in Balochi lexicography and offers a modern solution for linguistic documentation and learning in the digital age, according to a statement issued by the academy.

It is the most extensive lexical resource ever developed for the Balochi language, containing more than 40,000 words.

Each entry provides meanings and equivalents in four languages — Balochi, English, Urdu, and Brahvi—significantly enhancing its value for students, researchers, linguists, translators, and language learners in Pakistan and across the global Baloch diaspora.

‘Labzganj’ offers over 40,000 entries in four languages

Habitan Umar, chairman of the Balochi Academy and coordinator of the NLP Balochi Project, while speaking at the launch ceremony, highlighted the academic foundations behind the initiative.

Contributions

He noted that the academy had previously published ‘Balochi Labzbalad’, compiled and edited by Jan Muhammad Dashti in 2015 and 2017.

He further acknowledged the contributions of Dr Naseer Dashti, who worked on the Balochi–English and English–Balochi dictionaries, and Panah Baloch, who compiled and edited ‘Labzganj’ in Balochi, Urdu, Brahvi, and Sindhi.

“These scholarly efforts laid the groundwork for the development and standardisation of Balochi lexicography, culminating in the launch of this comprehensive online digital dictionary,” he said.

Linguists and academics have widely welcomed the initiative, describing it as a vital tool for safeguarding a language that has historically relied on oral transmission and scattered written sources.

Published in Dawn, December 22nd, 2025