National languages play a vital role in national unity. In Pakistan, Urdu is the national and official language of Pakistan. Urdu had been a lingua franca among the Muslims during the British rule in India particularly in the north and northwest of British India. Therefore, after the independence of Pakistan, Urdu was declared as the national language of Pakistan. The founding father of Pakistan, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, announced Urdu as the official language of Pakistan. Many Muslim leaders such as Syed Ahmed Khan, Abdul Majeed Sindhi, Allama Iqbal, Hasrat Mohani, Allama Shibli Nomani, Quaid-e-Azam all agreed with Urdu. However, there have been ups and downs in the governments’ policies vis-à-vis the use of Urdu during different times. Unfortunately, the leadership in Pakistan did not promote Urdu as much as it had to be promoted. The recent decision by the Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan, to direct for all official engagements to be held in Urdu, to give due respect to the national language and promote the same, is a step towards the revival of Urdu as a National Language that will significantly create a strong sense of unity among the people of Pakistan. “The prime minister has been pleased to desire that henceforth all the programs events/ceremonies, arranged for the prime minister, shall be conducted in the national (Urdu) language,” a communique issued by the Prime Minister’s Office. It also stated that: “Further necessary action to implement the above directions of the prime minister shall be taken by all concerned accordingly.” Moreover, the PM was quoted as saying that he was “committed to promoting and giving due respect to the national language.”
Comments are closed.