Creation of Bangladesh: Urdu was never the language of Pakistan

Scholar says people never learn from past, calls for resolving issues of Balochistan and FATA

Urdu was never the language of Pakistan, either the east or the west, but its imposition as a national and official language led to ethnic strife among the people, said an eminent scholar while speaking at the National University of Modern Languages (NUML) on Friday.

Delivering a lecture was delivered on the “Creation of Bangladesh: Myths Exploded” Dr Junaid Ahmad reminded that at that time the present Pakistan and Bangladesh were known as West Pakistan and East Pakistan.

Speaking at a university of language, the scholar delved upon the social and political dimensions of a language.

The people in eastern wing were uneasy over Urdu being imposed on them.



However, he said, Urdu was not the language of West part of Pakistan too. It was not the language of Sindh, Balochistan, Punjab or the present day Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, the scholar said.

To a question, he said the people of Pakistan never try to learn from the past. Without going deep into the topic, he made a passing but a potent comment while elaborating on secession of Bengali people from Pakistan. “We made mistakes in the past and are repeating the same. We must have to do something for the people of Balochistan and Fata,” he said.

Dr Ahmad denied that the figures which were presented by the Indian and Bengali propagandists regarding the prisoners, rape cases and murders and said that he had presented his book containing all the facts of 1971 to Begali PM Haseena Wajid also.

He was of the view that Pakistan must maintain good relations with Bangladesh because what has happened now become a past. “We have to move on.”

An accomplished academician, writer and researcher, Dr Ahmed’s detailed and informative lecture educated the audience about the topic.

Speaking at the lecture organised by the Peace and Conflict Studies Department of NUML, he said that most of the things which are famous and against Pakistan are not true but mere a propaganda by the India and Bangladesh. “We as nation never try to tell or educate the people about the truth,” he said.



According to the Dr Ahmed, the tendency to turn a blind eye from a painful event in the history has only given credence to the propaganda of the enemies.

He called for open discussions on the issue.

NUML Director General Brig Muhammad Ibrahim, Registrar Aminullah Khan, deans, directors, heads of departments, faculty members and a large number of students were also present on the occasion.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 24^th, 2018.