By Afrasiab Khattak
One of the first major political controversies faced by Pakistan after its creation in 1947 rose on the question of national language. Bengalis in the then East Pakistan, who not only constituted majority of the new country’s population but had also played the role of a vanguard in its creation, naturally expected that Bengali would be adopted as the national language of Pakistan. But that was not to be. The Urdu speaking intelligentsia coming from central and northern India, also supported by Punjabi elites decided to choose Urdu as the national language, a language that was not the mother tongue of any ethnic or cultural community living in Pakistan. They not only vehemently rejected the Bengali demand but also used brute force of the state to suppress it. On February 21, 1952 law enforcement agencies opened fire on Bengali students in Dhaka who were agitating in favor of their language killing a number of them. According to some political observers the seeds of future Bangladesh were sown that very day. The monument built in memory of the martyrs of that day subsequently became a national monument of the independent Bangladesh. But not many Pakistani have noticed the fact that it was on the basis of this incident that UNESCO started celebrating February 21 as International Day of Mother tongues. Interestingly there hasn’t been any major discussion in the country on this issue or our history in this regard to draw some lessons for the future. Apart of some brilliant books written by Dr. Tariq Rehman and a few others there is no quality research work on the subject.
The aforementioned historical context is significant for understanding the evolution of state policy towards major and minor languages spoken in different parts of Pakistan. Because language is not just the backbone of cultural identity of individuals and communities but it also has its own significance for political power and socio cultural domination. It is not only significant ingredient of the predominant socio political discourse in a society but is very often its conveyer belt so to say. Relations between the languages of different communities represent the parity or disparity prevalent in that society at a given point in time. That is why correct handling of this sensitive question is crucial in multi ethnic and multi cultural societies in the project of nation building and state building.
Muhajir intelligentsia, coming from other parts of India, had little idea about the tremendous cultural diversity and richness of the areas that now constitute Pakistan. Claiming a monopoly over the definition of the cultural personality of the new state they failed to appreciate the fact that they were dealing with cultures that had their origin in some of the classic civilizations of the world like Meher Garh, Indus Valley and Gandahara Civilizations. In the deep wave of hatred in the aftermath of bloody communal riots in the Punjab during the partition, “common” language or culture with non-Muslims was regarded unthinkable. There were non-communal voices among progressive circles, but they were a tiny minority.
It was in this context that mother tongues in Pakistan got quite a raw deal. Except Sindhi, which had a long history of development in journalism and education, other languages including Punjabi, Siraiki, Pashto, Balochi and many others were completely ignored. The term regional language was coined and used in journalistic parlance even for some of the most ancient and rich languages of the Indo Aryan Family of languages. In the 1973 Constitution which is a federal constitution there are only two important references to the language question. In the Chapter on Fundamental Rights article 28 recognizes the right of citizens to preserve and promote a language and a script. But this right is subject to Article 251 which declares Urdu as national language of the country and talks of arrangements for its use for official and other purposes. English was supposed to be used for 15 years in transition period but it is for all practical purposes the official language. Urdu is dominating official and private media both print and electronic. However, without prejudice to national language Article 251 recognizes the right of the provincial assemblies to legislate for the development of provincial languages, but provincial assemblies and governments have a dismal record in this regard.
The principle of primary education in mother tongue is now recognized world wide as the most efficient way for learning. Promoting it is one of the aims of celebrating February 21 as International Day of Mother Tongues. In Pakistan only Sindhi language has achieved this status. In Pakhtunkhwa a law was passed to develop Pashto,Hindko, Siraiki, Kohistani and Khowar (Chitrali) as medium of instruction during the previous government but unfortunately it is not being implemented after the change of the government. Attitude towards Punjabi is changing in positive sense in recent years although it is still short of getting recognized as medium of instruction. Balochi, Brahvi and Pashto in Balochistan have yet to receive attention for promotion as languages of the province. The general decline of film industry in Pakistan has also been a set back for films in Pakistani languages that were quite popular and were doing roaring business at one stage.
During the discussion on 18th Constitutional Amendment there was a proposal to include major languages spoken in the country as Pakistani languages but due to lack of consensus among political parties this proposed amendment could not be implemented. Although many of the political parties agreed with the idea, the back log to be cleared by the 18th Amendment was too big to provide space to so many things. In India Hindi is formally the official language (with English practically running the show) but the Indian Constitution recognizes 22 major languages as Indian languages. This is something that we also need to do in Pakistan to give recognition to the languages of the land (the mother tongues). Literary festivals are becoming a popular phenomena in urban centers of the country. But they are also mostly confined to Urdu and English. Provincial legislatures and governments need to promote languages spoken by a great majority of the people. Diversity is our strength and recognizing it will promote unity. Denying or negatively provoking will create discord and division.
The aforementioned historical context is significant for understanding the evolution of state policy towards major and minor languages spoken in different parts of Pakistan. Because language is not just the backbone of cultural identity of individuals and communities but it also has its own significance for political power and socio cultural domination. It is not only significant ingredient of the predominant socio political discourse in a society but is very often its conveyer belt so to say. Relations between the languages of different communities represent the parity or disparity prevalent in that society at a given point in time. That is why correct handling of this sensitive question is crucial in multi ethnic and multi cultural societies in the project of nation building and state building.
Muhajir intelligentsia, coming from other parts of India, had little idea about the tremendous cultural diversity and richness of the areas that now constitute Pakistan. Claiming a monopoly over the definition of the cultural personality of the new state they failed to appreciate the fact that they were dealing with cultures that had their origin in some of the classic civilizations of the world like Meher Garh, Indus Valley and Gandahara Civilizations. In the deep wave of hatred in the aftermath of bloody communal riots in the Punjab during the partition, “common” language or culture with non-Muslims was regarded unthinkable. There were non-communal voices among progressive circles, but they were a tiny minority.
It was in this context that mother tongues in Pakistan got quite a raw deal. Except Sindhi, which had a long history of development in journalism and education, other languages including Punjabi, Siraiki, Pashto, Balochi and many others were completely ignored. The term regional language was coined and used in journalistic parlance even for some of the most ancient and rich languages of the Indo Aryan Family of languages. In the 1973 Constitution which is a federal constitution there are only two important references to the language question. In the Chapter on Fundamental Rights article 28 recognizes the right of citizens to preserve and promote a language and a script. But this right is subject to Article 251 which declares Urdu as national language of the country and talks of arrangements for its use for official and other purposes. English was supposed to be used for 15 years in transition period but it is for all practical purposes the official language. Urdu is dominating official and private media both print and electronic. However, without prejudice to national language Article 251 recognizes the right of the provincial assemblies to legislate for the development of provincial languages, but provincial assemblies and governments have a dismal record in this regard.
The principle of primary education in mother tongue is now recognized world wide as the most efficient way for learning. Promoting it is one of the aims of celebrating February 21 as International Day of Mother Tongues. In Pakistan only Sindhi language has achieved this status. In Pakhtunkhwa a law was passed to develop Pashto,Hindko, Siraiki, Kohistani and Khowar (Chitrali) as medium of instruction during the previous government but unfortunately it is not being implemented after the change of the government. Attitude towards Punjabi is changing in positive sense in recent years although it is still short of getting recognized as medium of instruction. Balochi, Brahvi and Pashto in Balochistan have yet to receive attention for promotion as languages of the province. The general decline of film industry in Pakistan has also been a set back for films in Pakistani languages that were quite popular and were doing roaring business at one stage.
During the discussion on 18th Constitutional Amendment there was a proposal to include major languages spoken in the country as Pakistani languages but due to lack of consensus among political parties this proposed amendment could not be implemented. Although many of the political parties agreed with the idea, the back log to be cleared by the 18th Amendment was too big to provide space to so many things. In India Hindi is formally the official language (with English practically running the show) but the Indian Constitution recognizes 22 major languages as Indian languages. This is something that we also need to do in Pakistan to give recognition to the languages of the land (the mother tongues). Literary festivals are becoming a popular phenomena in urban centers of the country. But they are also mostly confined to Urdu and English. Provincial legislatures and governments need to promote languages spoken by a great majority of the people. Diversity is our strength and recognizing it will promote unity. Denying or negatively provoking will create discord and division.
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