By Rauf Parekh

Dawn : Dec 07, 2015

HOW many languages are spoken in Pakistan? The precise answer to this question is not known, but Dr Memon Abdul Majeed Sindhi in his Lisaniyaat-i-Pakistan (National Language Authority, Islamabad, 1992) has mentioned different languages and their dialects spoken in the country.

The sum comes to around 70, that is, if all the languages, their dialects and regional accents are counted.

Dr Inamul Haq Javed in the intro to his book Pakistani zabanon ke Sufi shaer (Sufi poets of Pakistani languages) says the number of languages spoken in the country is “about 56”.

He has given the names of the languages that have their own script or a writing system and in them literature, too, is being produced. These 18 languages, formerly called regional or provincial languages, are (in alphabetical order): Balochi, Balti, Brahvi, Brushaski, Gaori, Gujri, Hindko, Kashmiri, Khwaar, Pahari, Pashtu, Punjabi, Seraiki, Shina, Sindhi, Torwali, Urdu and Wakhi.

We have to believe Dr Javed since he has served as chairman of the department of Pakistani languages at Allama Iqbal Open University, Islamabad. In fact, he founded that department at the AIOU.

The book, just published by Lahore’s Al-Faisal Publishers, is a collection of 21 critical and research articles on the Sufi poetry composed in different Pakistani languages.

“All these languages have their own different accents, linguistic geography and literary riches. Each has its separate and distinct identity. Every one of them has a historical and literary importance,” says Dr Javed in the intro. “But these languages have many common traits that promote linguistic and national unity,” he adds.

This is a second, revised and enlarged edition of the book that has some new articles. The book discusses Sufi poetry in 10 languages: Balochi, Brahvi, Brushaski, Hindko, Kashmiri, Pashtu, Punjabi, Seraiki, Sindhi and Urdu.

The Sufi poets articles whose poetry make a part of the book include Baba Fareed Gunjshakar, Shah Hussain, Sultan Baahoo, Bulleh Shah, Mian Muhammad Bakhsh, Khwaja Ghulam Fareed, Rahman Baba, Ameer Hamza Shinwari, Shah Abdul Lateef Bhitai, Khwaja Mir Dard, Sachchal Sarmast, Mast Tokali, Taj Muhammad Tajil, Sheikh Nooruddin Rishi, Allama Naseeruddin Hunzai and Sain Ghulam Mohiuddin Qadri.

While one must appreciate the publication of the book, one still wonders what the precise number of Pakistani languages is. The official surveys carried out so far show the number of speakers of only a few major languages spoken in the country and leave out minor languages.

One feels that an official survey of the total number of languages with the number of native speakers must be carried out.

Another book recently published on Sufi poetry is Bulleh Shah. Compiled by Dr Amjad Ali Bhatti, it is a selection of Bulleh Shah’s Punjabi Sufi poetry with Urdu translation.

Published by National Book Foundation (NBF), the popularity of the work may be gauged from the fact that it is the second edition printed within a short span of time (in Pakistan, any book running into the second edition is quite an occasion and must be celebrated).

Bulleh Shah (1680-1752) whose real name was Abdullah Shah was a Sufi saint and one of the great poets of the Punjabi language. Laden with wit and wisdom, many of his lines and couplets have gained proverbial status. It is nice to see a good Urdu translation of Bulleh Shah’s works. The translator, Dr Bhatti, is a senior scholar of the Punjabi language and has penned some 45 books.

It is heartening to note the NBF has embarked upon a programme to get translated and published the classical and popular works of different Pakistani languages into Urdu and English.

The book is a part of that series. Another piece of good news is that the book is priced at just Rs120 and the members of NBF’s Readers’ Club can get it at about half the price. Well done NBF!