Official language: Can’t switch overnight, says Saad

LAHORE: Railways Minister Khwaja Saad Rafique said on Sunday that the government would take steps to implement Urdu as official language. The minister was speaking at a seminar, titled Role of Media in the Implementation of Urdu. He said that in addition to court directives and executive orders, people’s consent was also needed to implement Urdu as the official language. The minister said that a timeframe might be given for the purpose. He said that the importance of regional languages could not be ignored. The country could not afford a linguistic divide, he said. Rafique said the PML-N had never compromised on principles.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 2^nd, 2015.