In Support of Punjabi Language

                                                                       Aziz-ud-Din Ahmad

[The Nation, Lahore - May 24, 2001]

        Punjabi language is the largest spoken but the most neglected of the languages in Pakistan. On account of its richness and its large stock of vocabulary, it could have been made an official language in Punjab's mofussul offices, district courts and the provincial Assembly. This would have provided relief to local people who are not fluent in any other language and have to undergo the inconvenience inherent in expressing themselves through intermediaries and translators. As it is not a medium of instruction at the primary level, children are forced to cram lessons in Urdu or English without fully understanding these, which is harmful for learning. As a proficiency in the language is no qualification for a job, many students do not offer it as an elective subject at the college level. Neglecting one's cultural heritage, of which the mother tongue is a vital component, deprives a community of a most valuable source of spiritual sustenance without which no creative activity can be undertaken whether in the realm of arts or sciences. Further, the neglect erodes the community's confidence in its ability to perform. By bringing up a generation ignorant of its language a community gradually loses its roots.
       

        Providing government patronage to Punjabi would have in no way harmed Urdu which enjoys the status of a national language and is bound to continue as a lingua franca throughout the country. It would have in fact enriched Urdu. Starting from the beginning of the 20th Century, writers belonging to Punjab have added vitality to the Urdu language by introducing in it local vocabulary and turns of speech. The Urdu purists who disapproved of the activity have in fact done disservice to it by standing in the way of its becoming a more widely understood language.
       

        Fears are often expressed that the propagation of Punjabi might weaken the basis of the Pakistani nationhood. There are those who think that as the language is spoken in the Indian Punjab also, any emphasis on the commonality of language could give birth to the thinking that borders between the two countries are irrelevant. Anyone who has studied the question thoroughly will question the argument.
       

        There is no denying the fact that the existence of a common language serves as a bond between Punjabis all over the world. It is not unnatural for them to spontaneously start communicating in their mother tongue when they meet anywhere even ignoring the presence of others who may not understand the language. This is by no means unusual and is in fact a universal phenomenon. The English speaking communities in Great Britain, North America and Australia have always felt nearer to one another than to the French, Germans or Italians. But this has not weakened their national loyalties or their international relations in the least. Similarly, despite all the sense of solidarity permeating the Arabic speaking communities, it has in no way affected their respective national bonds nor for that matter eliminated political rivalries between their governments. All the linguistic and cultural affinities between Bangladesh and West Bengal have similarly not stopped the former from continuously strengthening its national identity. In all these cases, people of each country have developed political, social and economic linkages over years which have in turn given birth to a sense of particularity. They have developed certain commonalties which they do not share with those speaking their language in other countries. This has strengthened the already existing national boundaries. Similarly, people belonging to various provinces in Pakistan have developed numerous social, political and economic linkages which act as a strong binding factor. Despite numerous complaints which occasionally surface and which are not unusual in federations, these linkages have become so strong that the provinces may not remain viable without one another.
       

        In federations secessionist tendencies develop only in provinces which suffer from a sense of prolonged deprivation. This has never been the case with Punjab which is not only the biggest but also the most prosperous province in Pakistan. While all federal units have gained from the creation of the new country in various degrees, Punjab has been the greatest beneficiary among them. Its prosperity is dependent on its continuing to strengthen the federation. It receives from other provinces the bulk of the gas and electric power which keeps its factories running, sustains its agriculture and keeps its households warm in winter and cool in summer. Being a landlocked province, it depends on the port city of Karachi for imports and exports. Its business community has invested in all the provinces and its professionals and workers are spread all over the country. No reasonable man in Punjab belonging to any section of society would therefore go for a bigger Punjab at the cost of a united Pakistan which has given him all that he possesses. Opting for a bigger Punjab does not suit those living in East Punjab either, as they belong to the most developed and prosperous state of the Indian Union.
       

        The desire on the part of the Punjabis to preserve and develop their language must not therefore be taken as something subversive. Punjab has a rich literary tradition and a vibrant language. The concern to transfer the heritage to the coming generations therefore is quite understandable. This brings together Punjabis not only from India and Pakistan but also from
other countries.
       

        There are bound to be all types of elements in the ranks of those who want to preserve and popularize the Punjabi language. Here and there one may meet a racist dreaming about the revival of a Punjabi empire or somebody who would like India and Pakistan to become one again. But these are freaks who hope to turn back the irreversible wheels of history. The majority of the people involved in the holding of international Punjabi moots are those who believe in the sanctity of national borders, while they are at the same time genuinely concerned about the preservation of the Punjabi language and cultural heritage.