[Pkg-fonts-devel] Adopting/Updating fonts-nafees-nastaleeq (Bug #703456) - License now DFSG-free

[Shehroz Kaleem]

Hello Debian Fonts Team,

I am writing to nudge the team regarding the orphaned 'fonts-nafees-
nastaleeq' package (ITP/ITA Bug #703456).

I have been monitoring the status of this font. It is a critical
resource for the Urdu-speaking community, but it has remained orphaned
and stuck in 'non-free' for years due to previous licensing
restrictions.

I would like to bring to your attention that the Center for Language
Engineering (CLE) has officially updated the Nafees Nastaleeq License.
It now explicitly allows for commercial redistribution and
modification, which should make it DFSG-compliant and eligible for
'main'.

Current License:
https://www.cle.org.pk/software/license/Nafees_Nastaleeq_License.html 
Archived Version (Jan 2025):
https://web.archive.org/web/20250123231724/https://www.cle.org.pk/software/license/Nafees_Nastaleeq_License.html

Specific changes in the 2025 update:

* Section 2: Now allows distribution for "any purpose, including
commercial purposes."
* Section 3: Permits modification and derivative works.

I have manually tested the latest TTF from the CLE website on a machine
running Debian Trixie. The rendering is excellent and works perfectly
out of the box once the font file is installed/placed into Fonts
directory.

My Wish:
I am not looking to become the primary maintainer of this package
myself, but I am eager to see it included in the next stable release so
it is available to users "out of the box" in 'main'.

Could the Fonts Team consider adopting this package under the team's
umbrella? Since the legal barrier is removed, updating the
debian/copyright and moving it to 'main' would be a significant win for
Urdu localization in Debian.

I am happy to assist with further testing.

Best,

Shehroz Kaleem 
https://www.shehroz.pk/