SU orders campus signboards in Sindhi and English

VC says only English, Sindhi’s mention was an oversight, new notification to be issued soon

KARACHI: Article 251 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan states that, “Without prejudice to the status of the national language [Urdu], a provincial assembly may by law prescribe measures for the teaching, promotion and use of a provincial language in addition to the national language”.

The University of Sindh (SU) seems to have forgotten to consult the Constitution before issuing a notification on Tuesday to convert all signboards and building titles within its campuses to English and Sindhi. The failure to mention the national language sparked controversy, even though the varsity denied that its aim was to exclude Urdu.

The notification (No SU/G/396 dated April 17, 2018) states that it is notified for general information of all that signboards and building titles at SU, Jamshoro and all other campuses shall be in bilingual format (Sindhi and English). “All heads concerned are requested to take necessary action in this pursuit,” it reads.



The notification is being viewed as contrary to constitutional provisions and the apex court judgment. Referring to Article 251 of the Constitution and SC judgment of 2015, Advocate Muhammad Nadeem Shaikh of the Justice Helpline said it seemed like contempt of court and is very much against the Constitution of Pakistan.

He also recalled that then chief justice Jawwad S Khawaja gave a landmark judgment after which it was made compulsory to correspond in Urdu language in all official matters. “Urdu should have been mentioned in the notification,” he said.

In 2015, the Supreme Court (SC) took up two petitions pleading for implementation of Article 251. In its order (constitutional petitions No 56 of 2003 and 112 of 2012), the apex court stressed the importance of the national language and expressed displeasure over the government’s ‘very casual and non-serious’ attitude towards the issue.

“We may also emphasise here that implementing Article 251 is not just a matter of obeying the Constitution, it has real practical implications for the Pakistani public,” said then chief justice Khawaja.

“The government appears to be acting on the untenable premise that it has the right not to adhere to Article 251 of the Constitution. This is most disturbing. The language of Article 251 leaves no room for such an interpretation. Article 251 uses the term ‘shall’, which shows that it is a mandatory provision and not an optional or directory one,” said the judge.

Though the SC case pertained to the federal government’s delay in implementing Article 251 and using Urdu as the official language, the judgment is applicable in this case as well.



Up in arms

On Thursday, news of the notification went viral. It lit up television screens and spread like wildfire in social media and sparked political outrage.

Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) - Pakistan’s Leader of the Opposition in the Sindh Assembly Khawaja Izharul Hasan issued a statement saying that the notification signifies a mind-set of slavery. “Urdu is our national language,” he said, adding that the notification is against the dreams of Quaid-i-Azam.

MQM MPA Faisal Sabzwari also condemned the exclusion of Urdu in the notification and said that efforts should be made to bring the people of Sindh closer rather than divide them.

Pak Sarzameen Party Chairperson Mustafa Kamal termed the notification a conspiracy against the Sindhi population. The Pakistan Peoples Party, he said, is instigating the Sindhi population, while the MQM is doing same with the Urdu speaking population.

Backtracking

The management of SU, however, insisted that they never placed a ban on Urdu at their varsity. “There is an important department of Urdu at SU, where education till doctorate level is provided,” the statement reads.



SU Vice-Chancellor Dr Fateh Muhammad Burfat told The Express Tribune that most of the building titles and signboards at the varsity are in English and the people of the vicinity mostly understand Sindhi. That was the reason, he said, the varsity decided to also mention the titles in Sindhi as well as Urdu.

When reminded that there was no mention of Urdu in the notification, he replied that some titles are already in Urdu and that is why they did not find it necessary to mention it in the notification separately, as they thought it was already understood. “Urdu is our national language and Sindhi is our provincial language and we respect that,” clarified Dr Burfat.

Meanwhile, SU Registrar Abdul Qayoom Memon said that all the documentation work at the varsity is done in English or Sindhi, as students are not able to easily understand Urdu.

In the 1970s, he explained, Sindhi was approved as the official language of correspondence at SU and in light of that approval, the academic council issued the recent notification. “We did not issue the notification out of any ulterior motive,” he said.



Dr Burfat, on the other hand, said that the varsity will issue another notification with amendments. The new notification, he said, will also have the word Urdu mentioned to end this controversy.