Introduction:
Language is the most important aspect of culture. It is the dominant feature
in determining nationality or ethnicity. It is the binding force that unites
a people, and makes them distinct from others. Language represents a people's heritage and identity. However, the imposition of Urdu as the national language of Pakistan has been disastrous to the country.
Background:
Urdu language evolved during the declining period of Muslim rule in South
Asia. But Persian (Farsi) always remained the official language of South Asia during the Muslim rule. The base of most South
Asian Muslim empires was in north India, particularly in Delhi and
surrounding areas. With the passage of time, due to the constant interaction
between the ruled Khari-boli-speaking north Indian Hindu masses and the
ruling Persian-Turkic-speaking Muslim elite, a new language slowly evolved
called Hindustani, whose Persianized form came to be known as Urdu.
Urdu as National Language:
Upon Pakistan's creation, the peak of Urduization process became a reality with the imposition of Urdu on the non-Urdu speaking peoples of Pakistan, in the form of Urdu as the national language of Pakistan. Except for the 7% of Pakistanis who are north Indian Muslim migrants or their
descendents, also known as Muhajirs, whose mother-tongue is Urdu, none of the other Pakistanis have anything to do with Urdu. In fact, imposition of Urdu is resented among many peoples of Pakistan. The loss of East Pakistan was also mostly due to imposition of Urdu on Bengalees. There were language riots in Sindh during the 70s. In spite of its status as the national language, however, only 8% of Pakistanis speak Urdu as their first language with about 48% speaking Punjabi as a mother tongue. It is, however, the language of prestige and all signage, and literacy is compulsory in the Pakistani school system. As time goes by, more and more Pakistanis of Punjabi or other background are speaking Urdu as a first language. It is evident that the number of native Urdu speakers is increasing quickly in urban centers. And basically Urdu is resisted in much of the country. If many people have learnt Urdu, it is simply because they are forced to do so, for social and economic communicational necessities under the Urdu-dominated system of the country. Instead of Urdu, why was not Arabic or Persian made the national language of Pakistan? At least, Arabic is the language of Islam (of Quran), thus naturally it would had been more accepted among Pakistanis. Also, Persian was another logical option, because of its historical role of being the official language in the region (Muslim and other periods), and would have made us closer to the Muslim brothers on our western borders.
National language is suppose to unite a country, but in Pakistan, Urdu as the
national language has caused division and resentment among most Pakistanis.
But the worse part is that Urdu being a north Indian language and foreign to
Pakistan is slowly destroying the local languages/cultures, and "Indianizing"
the native Pakistanis. Many of the native languages of Pakistan are already in danger of being extinct, mostly due to Urdu imposition. Pakistan was created mostly based on our cultural distinctiveness, unfortunately, Urdu-imposition is only forcefully making us artificially closer to India. And with this linguistic imperialism, also comes other aspects of cultural invasion. For example, north Indian music/TV/film dominates in Pakistan, whereas
native Pakistani music/film/TV is largely ignored by the Urdu dominated media.
We Pakistanis are greatful to Quaid-e-Azam for his efforts in the creation of Pakistan, however, as a human being he was not perfect. Jinnah's choice of Urdu as the national language of Pakistan was his biggest mistake with
long-term negative consequences. Criticizing Urdu as the national language of
Pakistan might be very painful to many Pakistanis. But ignoring this issue
with falsehoods and illusions will only worsen the problem.
My View:
Let us be open-minded and cease Urdu as the national language of Pakistan. At the same time, Urdu language should be respected, and people given the freedom to learn or speak it. Promoting native languages to become the official languages of their respective provinces or districts is the best solution to the problem. All native languages of Pakistan should be declared as the national languages of Pakistan. This will ensure the preservation of our language/culture, unity and respect between the various ethnicities, and
pride and distinctiveness in our Pakistani nationhood. If a multi-lingual
country like Switzerland can have a successful multi-linguistic system, then
so can we. Let us make change for our betterment before it’s too late.
Official Language:
All languages of Pakistan are oppressed. Fifty three years after the so-called independence English continues as the official language and graduates from non-English medium schools face a job market in the control of these colonial forces bent on the total destruction of all Pakistani languages. The plain fact is that as long as English remains as the official language of Pakistan it will be difficult to create a vibrant national spirit or culture. The status of national language is meaningless unless it is allowed to assume the role of official language, and as the medium of universal instruction within the country. Language is a potent force in the promotion of nationalism and national cohesion.
this is wat i wrote after gettin info from net BUT i still dont have the answer as 2 wat shud be the off language if not urdu...
