Call for recognition for regional languages
Marking the international mother language day on Sunday, prominent linguists and intellectuals reiterated the demand to declare the regional languages of Pakistan as national languages. At a conference organised by Sindhi Language Authority, the speakers emphasised the need for legislation in this regard underlining that the federation will only become stronger by such measures.
"No federation in the world has ever broken for accepting diversity and giving due recognition to regional languages," observed Dr. Syed Jaffar, a professor of politics and history at the University of Karachi. He shared instances of African countries, Nigeria and Kenya, where he said even tribal languages have been accepted as the national languages.
He questioned why the federation was scared of granting national status to Sindhi, Balochi, Punjabi, and Pashto languages. "This will put an end to the insecurities of the people speaking regional languages without threatening the country's unification."
Dr Jaffar gave the reference of countries like Russia and Yugoslavia which dismembered because they did not accept the diversity and rights of their people. The scholar noted that the mother tongue is an innate language that a child adopts naturally, adding that it made a child's observation and imagination stronger. Quoting renowned linguist and scholar, Noam Chomsky, Dr Jaffar said that a language is like a mirror of the brain and that the brain's faculty begins to learn the mother's language in the womb.
Linguist and author Dr Tariq Rehman, who spoke online from Islamabad, highlighted the importance of the mother tongue saying that it helped a child form ideas and enhance the perception of the outside world. He said that the first three years of education should be provided in the mother tongue, which is the most significant medium for learning. "Unfortunately, except Sindh, the other provinces aren't working to preserve their languages."
The government should allow children to learn their native language, added Dr. Rehman.
Dr Nabeela Rehman, the director of the Institute of Social and Cultural Studies at Punjab University, also echoed a similar concern, lamenting that contemporary children in Punjab are not aware of the Punjabi language. Giving a historical reference she told that Raja Ranjeet Singh in his reign had declared Farsi as an official language replacing Punjabi.
She noted that the British rule brought a further devaluation of the Punjabi language, which the colonists regarded as the language of the Sikh community. She felt sorry for the Punjabi people who degraded their own language.
On the occasion, books authored by late scholar Dr. Gulam Ali Allana, were launched.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 23rd, 2021.