What about the majority mother tongue: Punjabi?   
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President, prime minister to deliver speeches
only in Urdu, even on foreign trips
By Hasnaat Malik


A file photo of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. PHOTO: PID

ISLAMABAD: Submitting a short-term plan for the promotion of Urdu language, the federal government told the Supreme Court on Friday that step-by-step over the next three months, the President, prime minister and all special designates, will start delivering their speeches in Urdu language regardless of whether these are being delivered within or outside the country.

Federal secretary information, while appearing before a three-member bench headed by Justice Jawwad S Khawaja to hear an application on declaring Urdu as the country’s official language, submitted a report on the steps taken by the government in this regard so far.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had also signed an administrative order regarding this on July 6, he added.

The report says that all government or semi-government organisations are working under the federation would translate their policies, by-laws and all kinds of forms into Urdu, which will appear alongside with English versions within the next three months. They will also develop their web portals in Urdu.
Further, the report notes that the government will affix names of all public places, including courts, police stations, hospitals, parks, educational institutions and banks in Urdu for the information of people within the prescribed time. All related signboards will also be fixed in Urdu.

The government will also take steps so that information and documents printed by public offices, including passports offices, income tax office, AGPR, Auditor General of Pakistan, Wapda, Sui Gas, Election Commission of Pakistan and driving licence issuing authorities, as well as utility bills would be in Urdu and English within three months.
The proceedings of all the official functions, receptions would also be conducted in Urdu within three months.
For these purposes, the Institution for Promotion of National Language would play a central role.
Meanwhile, reports were submitted by the provinces as well for promotion of regional languages.
Justice Khawaja remarked Balochistan had taken steps for promotion of six local languages, including Punjabi in the province, but Punjab had done nothing for the promotion of Punjabi language.

Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed said according to 1951 survey 97 per cent people in the country spoke Punjabi, but the Punjab government had totally ignored it, adding if the provincial government needed any help it could take support from Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Curtsey:The Express Tribune: Published: July 10, 2015

Summary sent to cabinet for Urdu’s implementation as national language

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) has sought a report from the federal government till July 2 on the steps taken for implementation of national language Urdu. While expressing displeasure over the lack of legislation by the Punjab government for promotion and publication of Punjabi, Seraiki and other regional languages the court sought a detailed report from it till July 2.

The federal government has informed the court that a summary has been sent to cabinet on the implementation of Article 251 of the constitution with regard to introduction of national language Urdu and it is most likely to be approved in the next meeting of cabinet.

Justice Jawwad S Khawaja has remarked, “Political compulsions will not be allowed to come on the way to implementation of Urdu as official language. What cabinet decides, we have nothing to do with it. We will get implement article 251 as per true letter and spirit. Provincial and regional languages are our national asset and no compromise can be made on the matter of their protection. He further remarked “ government which has come into existence on money of people and the institutions which are paid salaries by people are not ready to provide facility of language to them.

He observed that lawyers are charging Rs 500 to 5,000 to their poor clients for reading a court’s notice by taking advantage of their inability to read English. A two-member bench of the court presided over by Justice Jawwad S Khawaja took up for hearing the case on declaration of Urdu as official language and promotion of provincial languages here Thursday. Petitioner Kokab Iqbal and other parties appeared in the court.

Justice Jawwad remarked, “If some criminal comes and says that he is facing some difficulty, will we accept his plea? In the matter of tax a person said he does not comprehend delicate things written in English.” He said everything should be written in an easy language. “How will we pay tax if we cannot understand English?”

Justice Jawwad remarked, “Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have legislated on promotion of local languages. Sindh is also doing this work. As far as provinces are concerned, all have legislated except Punjab. Wherever some language fails, Urdu language succeeds therein. Punjab government says fire the bullet to Punjabi and let the job proceed in Urdu. We will not allow this to be done.”

Curtsey:The Express Tribune: June 12, 2015

PM, president to deliver speeches in Urdu on foreign trips, SC told
IRFAN HAIDER

Federal government had asked heads of departments to implement a cabinet decision to gradually introduce Urdu as official language. —AFP/File

ISLAMABAD: The federal government told the Supreme Court on Friday that the prime minister had issued directives to grant official status to Urdu language, after which the president, the prime minister, federal and provincial ministers, and government employees will deliver speeches in Urdu — whether inside or outside the country.

Appearing before a three-member bench headed by Justice Jawwad S Khawaja, Federal Secretary for Information and Broadcasting Mohammad Azam said following orders from Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, websites for government institutions, utility bills, driving licences, passports and other documents will carry text in Urdu as well.
Earlier, the federal government had asked heads of departments to implement a cabinet decision to gradually introduce Urdu as the official language.

According to a circular, heads of government departments have also been asked to propose ways through which Urdu could replace English as the official language.
On May 14 this year, the cabinet decided that Urdu would replace English as the official language as stated in Article 251 of the Constitution.

Article 251 of the Constitution

(1) The National language of Pakistan is Urdu, and arrangements shall be made for its being used for official and other purposes within fifteen years from the commencing day.
(2) Subject to clause (1), the English language may be used for official purposes until arrangements are made for its replacement by Urdu.
(3) Without prejudice to the status of the national language, a provincial assembly may by law prescribe measures for the teaching, promotion and use of a provincial language in addition to the national language.

Govt departments asked to gradually introduce Urdu as official language
SYED IRFAN RAZA 

ISLAMABAD: The federal government has asked heads of departments to implement a cabinet decision to gradually introduce Urdu as official language.

According to a circular, heads of government departments have also been asked to propose ways in which Urdu could take the place of English as the official language.
On May 14, the cabinet decided that Urdu would be the official language as per Article 251 of the Constitution.
Article 251 says: “(1) The National language of Pakistan is Urdu, and arrangements shall be made for its being used for official and other purposes within fifteen years from the commencing day. (2) Subject to clause (1), the English language may be used for official purposes until arrangements are made for its replacement by Urdu. (3) Without prejudice to the status of the national language, 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 heads of the departments have been informed that working papers for cabinet meetings will be prepared in Urdu and all its proceeding and minutes will also be in the national language.

They have been asked to seek suggestions and recommendations in this regard from the Higher Education Commission and the provincial authorities concerned.

The bureaucracy has been asked to write notes and orders on official files in Urdu, instead of English. All the ministries have been directed to correspond with each other and with other departments in the national language. And all the government policies should be translated into Urdu.

According to the circular, all tests for basic pay scales 1-16, which are given by the National Testing Service, should in Urdu.
Departments like the passport office, the income tax department, the Accountant General of Pakistan Revenue, the Auditor General of Pakistan, Wapda and the Election Commission of Pakistan have been given three months to start issuing their documents and forms, including utility bills, in Urdu.

A task force headed by the information secretary will be set up to monitor and review progress on the matter on a monthly basis.
But correspondence with other countries and competitive examinations like that of the Central Superior Services will be in English.
Talking to Dawn, a government official said employees would have to undergo comprehensive training before the cabinet decision could be implemented fully.

“We do not have a dictionary which provides proper Urdu substitutes for English words, for instance,” he said.
The cabinet had conceded that the National Language Authority set up in 1979 to promote Urdu had now become dormant.
The official added that the entire government record would have to be translated into Urdu.
Published in Dawn, June 8th, 2015

Mother tongue day:‘Regional languages and Urdu should join hands’

Federal Minister for Information, Broadcasting and National Heritage, Senator Pervaiz Rashid addressing a symposium on the eve of International Mother Tongue Day. PHOTO: INP

ISLAMABAD: All languages spoken in Pakistan are national languages; Urdu being the source to bring together the Muslims of the subcontinent has been given the status owing to its political history.

These views were expressed by linguistics at a symposium on International Mother Language Day organised by the Pakistan Academy of Letters on Saturday to observe the International Mother Language Day.

Speaking at the occasion, Minister for Information, Broadcasting and National Heritage Senator Pervaiz Rashid urged for promotion of the mother language and underlined the need to promote and uplift the language with an aim to enrich the nation’s knowledge.
The minister said Urdu being a national language was indeed a treasure trove of knowledge adding that national and mother languages also play an important role in the development of literature.

He emphasised that culture cannot be promoted by adopting other languages and that only the mother tongue was the most powerful instrument of preserving and developing national heritage.

“When a nation is deprived of its mother tongue, it ceases to develop. It is perhaps due to this reason that the nations around the globe have started to observe International Mother Tongue Day,” he maintained.

“No language can survive by only external support unless its speakers stop considering it as an inferior to other languages In the future only those languages would survive which would have power to compete with other languages,” said writer Dr Attaul Haq Qasmi, adding that many international languages like Sanskrit are dying due to their incompetency.

“There is a struggle between regional languages and Urdu, scholars complain that the regional languages do not get the proper attention because of Urdu, which is wrong,” said professor Fateh Malik.

Dr Atish Durani argued that “Some language experts are responsible for death of their respective languages; the high collective reading habits can help languages in existence,” he stressed.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 22nd, 2015.

Language debate

SHAMIM MALIK 

After almost  70 years of independence, the debate, whether education in Pakistan should be in Urdu or English, rages on. The 1973 Constitution written in English, made Urdu the national language, stipulating that Urdu be the official language as well as the language of curriculum and medium of instruction in education.

While Article 25 in the Constitution stipulated equality for all citizens before the law, Article 25A, enshrined in 2010, addressing the right to education specified that “the state shall provide free and compulsory education to all children of the age of five to 16 years in such manner as may be determined by the law”. This might be confusing to some but these two articles combined are about ‘equality’ for citizens’ right to education.

As this debate continues to be politicised, the present state of education continues to perpetuate class inequality stemming from a failed system of education. As a consequence, by one estimate, 23pc of children in rural areas are deprived of education thus leaving Pakistan with the highest number of out-of-school children in South Asia and second highest in the world.

Indians are far ahead of Pakistanis in learning English.

Furthermore, since the majority of children from the middle and poor class attend government schools; this puts them on the path of being the future underclass. These Urdu-medium schools are mostly underfunded, provide limited instructional time, and have an outdated curriculum. Moreover, teachers lack the motivation and adequate training or accountability.

As such, the majority of the students get to learn little from these institutions and upon graduation, it becomes a real challenge for them to go for higher education or seek out better job opportunities. This standard of education needs to be upgraded since the whole school system, by and large, is producing a class of people with limited potential to seek out better socio-economic opportunities in order to improve their lives. Since as per Article 25A, “the manner as may be determined by the law” is yet to be legislated, without it, mediocrity continues to be validated as time goes by.
Simultaneously, Pakistani leadership both in the public and private sectors prefer to be fluent in English and send their children to English-medium schools while imposing Urdu on lower socio-economic classes through government-run Urdu medium schools.
This divide takes place geographically as well. In two of the largest cities Karachi and Lahore, the dividing line is Sharea Faisal in Karachi and Shahrah-i-Quaid-i-Azam (Mall Road) in Lahore with the majority of either class residing on either side. Reality is that English proficiency creates better opportunities for higher education and better job prospects. We must understand that a nation’s sense of identity does not stem from a language spoken by a few; it comes from peoples’ well-being, education, and access to equal opportunities and prosperity. The United States does not have an official language. Though English is the dominant language here, it does not have the status of an official language.
It is important to recognise that almost all the gadgets and inventions are for those who understand English. As the world is getting more flat, technology is creating incredible opportunities and abundance of possibilities to influence the world. It has enormous potential to empower people regardless of their class, religion or geographic location. In this hyper-connected world, literacy can empower people to democratise, create, innovate and educate. This explosive growth in technology could impact mindsets, opening new horizons.
Sir Syed Ahmed Khan had encouraged Muslims in the 19th century to learn English to get better jobs and his advice holds as true today. Indians are far ahead of Pakistanis in learning English which has opened the doors for them to pursue better jobs and educational opportunities worldwide. In reality, English is going to remain the principal language of internet and technology for many years to come. Therefore, adapting to English proficiency would help the nation become more competitive.
There is overwhelming evidence that early childhood is the most critical period when a child’s brain is most adaptable and as such, early education helps develop a strong foundation. A solid early education produces better life outcomes such as less poverty, better opportunities and a better standard of living.
A well-thought-out and comprehensive strategy needs to be devised to teach English proficiency and computer skills from a very early age. Pakistani leadership must realise that to achieve real excellence, the process would require that the means to receive English language training be available equally to all socio-economic classes. A dualistic approach towards language will continue to perpetuate class differences and inhibit the optimum use of talent in the country. Excellence can only be a self-perpetuating process if access to the means of excellence is to be inclusive and not exclusive.

The writer teaches World Literature at the Centre of Global Studies in Norwalk, USA.
shamimmalik@aol.com

Published in Dawn, May 14th, 2015

What about the majority mother tongue: Punjabi?