Language and dual nationality
All our politicians need to move towards greater responsibility and maturity.
File photo of Altaf Hussain. PHOTO: MQM/FILE
The MQM has never been an easy party to decipher. Some of what it says makes good sense. Its strong stance against militancy is commendable, as is its position against feudalism and the culture it breeds. But sometimes it is hard to understand quite what the party and its chief are aiming for, particularly given the fact that the sands shift constantly — as in the sudden reversal over joining Tahirul Qadri’s Long March.
In his most recent speech to party workers, MQM chief Altaf Hussain has raised the issue of linguistic and ethnic divisions. Mr Hussain said that if a uniform local government system is not introduced, ‘Urdu speakers’ may have no choice but to seek a division of Sindh. The matter, of course, goes back to the Sindh Peoples Local Government Ordinance of September 2012. The law has been controversial but raising the language issue is unfortunate. Today, we need unity rather than more divide. It is also true that the ‘Urdu’ issue has faded into the past. Today, Urdu is the language that links the country — and will undoubtedly expand further as the literacy rate increase. The dispute over the language is more or less non-existent and it probably does not need to be resurrected, simply because it is a matter that has been settled.
Mr Hussain also spoke on the dual nationality issue — raising the matter of Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s oath of allegiance to King George VI — and this may have come across as a bit confusing to some. The fact of the matter is that Mr Jinnah’s oath was required under the hastily-framed rules whereby Pakistan came into being after British colonial rule ended in India. Today, our Constitution bars dual nationality for ministers. Mr Hussain’s words could mean that a minister from his party would be torn between allegiance to the Constitution and to the party chief who is, indeed, a dual national. All our politicians need to move towards greater responsibility and maturity. It is time they learnt to do so, putting the national interest above all else. Others have erred in a similar fashion. It is time for them to rise above their own interests and play a part in guiding us out of crisis.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 13th, 2013.
In his most recent speech to party workers, MQM chief Altaf Hussain has raised the issue of linguistic and ethnic divisions. Mr Hussain said that if a uniform local government system is not introduced, ‘Urdu speakers’ may have no choice but to seek a division of Sindh. The matter, of course, goes back to the Sindh Peoples Local Government Ordinance of September 2012. The law has been controversial but raising the language issue is unfortunate. Today, we need unity rather than more divide. It is also true that the ‘Urdu’ issue has faded into the past. Today, Urdu is the language that links the country — and will undoubtedly expand further as the literacy rate increase. The dispute over the language is more or less non-existent and it probably does not need to be resurrected, simply because it is a matter that has been settled.
Mr Hussain also spoke on the dual nationality issue — raising the matter of Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s oath of allegiance to King George VI — and this may have come across as a bit confusing to some. The fact of the matter is that Mr Jinnah’s oath was required under the hastily-framed rules whereby Pakistan came into being after British colonial rule ended in India. Today, our Constitution bars dual nationality for ministers. Mr Hussain’s words could mean that a minister from his party would be torn between allegiance to the Constitution and to the party chief who is, indeed, a dual national. All our politicians need to move towards greater responsibility and maturity. It is time they learnt to do so, putting the national interest above all else. Others have erred in a similar fashion. It is time for them to rise above their own interests and play a part in guiding us out of crisis.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 13th, 2013.