Languages

Q1: Why was Urdu chosen as the national language of Pakistan? [7]
Ans. One of the reasons why Urdu became the national language in Pakistan is its long history.
It was widely used in the Mughal period and dates back as far as the Sultans of Delhi. In its
early stages it was used by the Muslim armies and became widely spoken and understood in
many parts of the subcontinent. So it was natural that such a well-known and established
language would be chosen.

Another reason for Urdu being chosen was its high status. Some of the finest early poets, such
as Amir Khusrou wrote many religious books in Urdu and even the Quran was translated into
Urdu. So it was considered an important language with a rich literary tradition.

Perhaps the major reason for Urdu being chosen was the fact that it was so closely associated
with the Pakistan movement. Sir Syed Ahmed Khan supported it and the Muslim League was
formed not only to defend Muslim interests but also to protect Urdu. Quaid-e-Azam was
particularly keen to promote Urdu as he saw it as a unifying force. Since Pakistan was a new
country, it was very appropriate to pick a language which had played a part in unifying Muslims.

Q1: "Punjabi was promoted more than any other regional language in Pakistan between
1947 and 1988’. Do you agree or disagree? Give reasons for your answer. [14]

Ans. In Pakistan, since independence, many languages have been supported and promoted for
their development.

Firstly, Punjabi is the local language of Punjab. There have been various books on different
subjects such as medicine, science and history written in Punjabi. This provided the Punjabi
language a platform where it could serve as a means of spreading education amongst the rural
areas of Punjab who don't have access to high quality education. This shows that the Punjabi
Language has been promoted and developed at a high level.

Secondly, Punjabi has also been promoted through the media by news and various dramas. As
Punjabi folktales are a source of inspiration for the film industry and provide means of
entertainment and perseverance of Punjabi culture, Punjabi theater and films have been much
appreciated. Punjabi poetry came closer to the contemporary scene and new mediums like
ghazal and Nazam, including blank verse, came into Vogue. This led to increased
understanding of the language to be improved by using Punjabi as a source of entertainment
and information. Therefore Punjabi has been developed at a high level.
Thirdly, Punjabi is also taught up to Ma level in Punjab University. This would lead to improved
respect for the language and give opportunities for the young youth to carry on this language
further which would help in preservation of Punjabi. This would allow scholars to improve their
research and explore different aspects of Punjabi prose and poetry. Ustad Daman, Sharif
Kunjahi, Ahmed Rahi and Munir Niazi are the major exponents of a new wave of Punjabi writing.
This shows that Punjabi has been the most developed of its local languages.

However, Sindhi, spoken in Sindh, has also been nourished and nurtured through promotion
and development since 1947. In 1948, the Sindh literary board was set up and this has printed
many books and magazines in Sindhi, with coordination of authors like Pir Ali Mohammad
Rashdi, Fakir Nabi Bux, and G. Allana. This helped to spread the Sindhi literature over a wider
range and produce masterpieces of folk writing. This shows that Sindhi has also been
developed as a regional language.

Furthermore, the Sarmast Academy has been set up in Sindh to pay tribute to the great Sindhi
poet, Sachal Sarmast. This organization has taken the responsibility of printing his work and
making it available to the masses. This Sindhology department in Jamshoro university has been
set up and development and promotion of Sindhi literature and culture through modern means
for example through TV radio newspapers has increased. This would allow Sindhi to be
available to a large number of the population and be given scope. This shows that Sindhi has
been promoted and developed highly.

Apart from that, within 3 years of Independence, Peshawar University was established and an
academy for the promotion of Pashto literature was set up in 1954. The Academy was initially
headed by Maulana Abdul Qadir and prepared a widely accepted Pashto dictionary. Since that
time, post-graduate classes in Pashto literature have been established at university level in
KPK. This added those who were interested in learning the language. Hence this shows that
Pashto has been highly developed as a regional language.

Lastly, Balochi language, which was at its decline before partition, was given special attention
for its promotion. The radio Pakistan Karachi began broadcasts in Balochi. The Quetta TV
Centre has been producing marvelous Dramas to help, develop and translate many books to
balochi and poets like Atta Shahid and Ishaq Shahid have greatly contributed towards its
promotion. The Balochi literary Association was set up and there are now monthly and weekly
magazines published in the language. This helped in the promotion of the language,as it
became accessible to a large number of people,. which shows that Balochi has been highly
developed among the regional languages.

In my opinion, though all of the regional languages have been highly supported and
developed, Punjabi is the most developed regional language of Pakistan. I agree with the
statement because the steps taken to faster the growth of Punjabi has resulted in its
large promotion in the country, as is evident by a large number of people speaking this
language in Pakistan.