The Colonial Hangover

The national language plays a sig­nificant role in the harmony of a country’s people. It is more than just a medium of communication. Be­sides factors like – a boundary, flag, and currency, it makes a nation respectable and unique by giv­ing it a specific identity. Pri­oritizing national language is crucial in fostering cultural identity, promoting unity, and facilitating communication. It acts as a tool for bridging diverse commu­nities and creates a sense of belonging among the citizens of a country. It pro­motes trade and business across vari­ous areas by removing language barri­ers within a country. When workers can interact easily, businesses can run more smoothly, which spurs growth and pro­ductivity. Additionally, as it creates an environment that is favorable for mul­tinational businesses to establish them­selves and grow, a common language draws in foreign investment. Histo­ry demonstrates that all great leaders made a sincere effort to strengthen the national language. Mao Zedong, the rev­olutionary leader of China, held a high regard for his native language.

Unfortunately, Pakistan shows a very different picture. Despite the declaration of Urdu as the national language of the country, the authorities with their inef­ficient efforts have failed to prioritize it. The irony is that constitutionally Urdu is our national language, while English is an official language and has still become a symbol of pride in the country. It has created a divide by distancing the mass­es from their linguistic roots. No na­tion in the history of the world has pro­gressed without prioritizing its national language or taking pride in its own cul­ture and roots. Several factors have im­peded Urdu from emerging as a priority language in Pakistan. This includes the influence of the British legacy, the edu­cational system, the global dominance of English, and the lack of consistent and robust policies that prioritize Urdu.

From a historical standpoint, Urdu represents Muslim unity and identity and has served as a unifying force across diverse cultures and ethnic groups ever since the Pakistan Movement. Urdu al­ways benefited greatly from the All-In­dia Muslim League’s unwavering back­ing. The advantage of Urdu’s “national” identity further strengthened its stand­ing. Before Pakistan came into being, the Urdu poets- philosophers, local aristo­crats, and Muslim scholars prioritized Urdu and adopted it as a symbol of pride. On the other hand, to create an English-speaking aristocracy that could aid in bridging the communication gap be­tween the colonizer and the colonized and ensure the smooth operation of the colonial company, the colonial agency exclusively provided English-medium education in urban centers. Given how deeply ingrained the Anglicized military, courts, and bureaucracy were in the so­cial structure of the recently established independent state, it is not surprising that these Anglicized authorities chose to use English for official documentation and communication following colonial customs. Thus, from there onwards the British legacy continued and is ingrained in our bureaucratic system and impeded Urdu to be prioritized.

The educational system in Pakistan has also failed to prioritize Urdu as the true essence of the national language. This also stems from the British colo­nial era which established a perception that proficiency in English and studying from English medium institutions are seen as a measure of success and mo­dernity. It is a common practice these days that in the stages of language de­velopment of a child, parents tend to make them learn English first instead of their mother tongue and their national language. This concern of the parents, because of the predominance of English being a universal language and the reli­ance on it in reading, writing, and con­ducting research, is understandable but it should not be at the cost of our own national language.

Despite being given the status of the national language in the constitution, Urdu has been relegated to a secondary language and is often seen as a language of the less privileged. The existing litera­ture on different levels fails to reflect the literary and cultural heritage of Urdu. This in effect limits students’ exposure to their linguistic roots. The Urdu-medi­um institutions lack high-quality educa­tional resources and insufficient teacher training that equips teachers with mod­ern techniques.

It is important to highlight that our com­petitive exams also stress more on Eng­lish and give limited options for the Urdu language. Though a resolution has been passed to consider the CSS exam option in Urdu, it has not been made in practice yet. Moreover, the inconsistent policies among the provinces are also a contributing fac­tor in the impediments to promoting Urdu as a symbol of pride. All these factors led to the perception of English as a source of economic opportunity and upward mobil­ity that incentivized it over Urdu.

It is surprising to witness that people in the mainstream media usually hesi­tate to communicate in Urdu properly. It is a common practice that so many words from English are littered into Urdu while communicating an idea. This is because we usually don’t know the exact mean­ings of such complicated words in Urdu and sometimes the unavailability of vo­cabulary in the Urdu language for some terms. It is a big shortcoming that citizens cannot articulate their grievances and ideas in their national language. The fact that we still do not fully appreciate Urdu, which is the mother tongue of millions of people, is a sad reflection of our society. It is very disheartening to know that we are drifting away from our roots. The West­ern language has now become the lan­guage of the elite and the utmost desire of the middle class. It is important to high­light that English is an international lan­guage and its significance in the contem­porary world cannot be denied. However, there should be a balanced approach that not only focuses on English but also pri­oritizes Urdu as a national language.

Nations that have prioritized educat­ing people in their national language along with English have advanced ma­terially, economically, and technologi­cally. The authorities should take mea­sures to make Urdu language a priority. They should conduct their events, pro­grams, and meetings in Urdu. The doc­uments of national importance should be translated and kept in Urdu. Lastly, there is a need for social and behavioral change that aids in shifting the mental­ity of, “English as a measure of compe­tence” to considering it just a language that helps in communication.

Manahil Bazai
The writer is a Research Assistant at the Balochistan Think Tank Network.