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| Illustration by Abro |
Ever since Pakistan’s tumultuous birth in 1947, much has been said and written about the topic of ethnic nationalism(s) in the country. This has always been a thorny and controversial subject because elements advocating the importance of exhibiting nationalism based on the linguistic and cultural injunctions of an ethnic community have always been dealt with suspicion by the state of Pakistan.
If we keep aside the fact that more than 97 per cent of Pakistan’s population is Muslim, this same population is then not a homogenous lot. In fact, even within its religious homogeneity there are sectarian, sub-sectarian and intra-sectarian divisions, with some of the various groups rather antagonistic towards one another.
Pakistan is made up of various ethnic groups that have their own languages, historical trajectories, and cultural traditions. Picturing such a diversity as a threat (to the unity of the country), the state of Pakistan, right from the word go, has launched various projects to concoct ideas of a unified nationalism to overcome and neutralise identities based on ethnic moorings.
Punjabi nationalism over the years
Naturally, such projects have created tensions between the state and various ethno-nationalist groups who accuse the state of Pakistan of trying to whitewash their centuries-old ethnic heritages with (what these groups believe is) an ‘artificial ideology’ invented by the state.
What’s more, the antagonistic ethno-nationalist groups have for long maintained that the state enforces such an ideology to safeguard the political and economic interests of the ‘dominant ethnic communities’.
Till the late 1960s the so-called dominant ethnic groups were supposed to be the Punjabis and the Urdu-speakers (Mohajirs) who had a monopolistic influence on the workings of the armed forces, the bureaucracy and large economic enterprises (and thus politics).
In this scenario ethno-nationalism in Pakistan was thus mostly the vocation of non-Punjabi and non-Mohajir ethnic groups, mainly Bengali, Sindhi, Pakhtun and Baloch.
According to the narrative weaved by some prominent Sindhi and Baloch ethno-nationalists, after the separation of the Bengali-majority East Pakistan in 1971, the state began to gradually co-opt the Pakhtuns who then began to replace the Mohajirs as the other dominant ethnic elite (along with the Punjabis).
By the 1980s Pakhtun nationalists had lost considerable appeal among the Pakhtuns but the same decade saw the emergence of ‘Mohajir nationalism’.
Ethno-nationalists have continued to accuse the ‘Punjabi-dominated state’ of usurping the economic and political interests of the non-Punjabi communities, sometimes in the name of Pakistani nationalism and sometimes in the name of religion.
Academics studying the phenomenon of ethno-nationalism in Pakistan usually stick to tendencies such as Sindhi, Baloch and Pakhtun nationalisms (and, in the past, Bengali nationalism, and now even Mohajir nationalism).
Nevertheless, what gets missed in the more holistic study of the said issue is a nationalism that is actually associated with what is usually decried to be a hegemonic and elitist ethnic group: the Punjabi.
This is not due to there being not enough activism and literature available on ‘Punjabi nationalism’ as there is on other ethno-nationalist tendencies in the country.
The Punjabis have for so long been seen as the dominant ethnic group, very few scholars have actually got down to study curious occurrences such as Punjabi nationalism.
Also, compared to other ethno-nationalisms in Pakistan, Punjabi nationalism is a more recent phenomenon.
According to cultural historian, Alyssa Ayres (in her book, Speaking Like A State), Punjabi nationalism largely emerged in the 1980s. Part of it was a reaction to the emergence of the Saraiki language movement that looked to separate the Saraiki-speaking areas of the Punjab from the rest of the province.
Till the late 1960s, Saraiki was considered to be a dialect of Punjabi, but Saraiki nationalists disagree and treat their language as a separate linguistic entity.
Ayres suggests that many Punjabi intellectuals considered the Saraiki movement as ‘yet another attack on Punjabi.’ They bemoan the way Punjab as a whole has been lumped together as a hegemonic province. They complain that a Punjabi actually has to let go of his culture and adopt ‘alien languages’ (English and Urdu), if he wants to escape economic marginalisation.
Just as the purveyors of Sindhi, Baloch and Pakhtun nationalism of yore, ideologues and advocates of Punjabi nationalism too emerged from progressive backgrounds.
They did not attack the non-Punjabi ethnicities for denouncing Punjabis; instead, they turned in anger towards the elite sections made up of fellow Punjabis. They accused them of neglecting the Punjabi language and forgetting the Punjabi culture — first to appease the British, and then to the state-backed promoters of Urdu — just to maintain their personal influence and power.
Though literature in this context had begun to trickle out in the 1970s, it was the publication of three books between 1985 and 1996 that finally gave Punjabi nationalism its most cohesive literary shape.
The first was Hanif Ramey’s Punjab Ka Muqadma (The Case of Punjab). Ramay was a founding member of the PPP; and a leading ideologue behind the party’s populist concoction called ‘Islamic Socialism’ (late 1960s).
In his 1985 book, Ramay suggests that the Punjabis turned against the Bengalis to safeguard the interests of those who had imposed Urdu (‘a foreign language’) upon them (the Punjabis).
Ramay continues by claiming that had the Punjabis continued to respect and love their own language, they would have understood the sentiments of East Pakistan’s Bengalis, and would not have turned against them.
The book was promptly banned by the intransigent Zia regime.
The ban did not deter Syed Ahmed Ferani from authoring Punjabi Zaban Marre Gi Nahi (The Punjabi Language Will Not Die) in 1988. This is an even more radical expression of Punjabi nationalism. Here Ferani describes Urdu as ‘a man-eating language’ that made Punjabis kill fellow Punjabis and then people of other non-Urdu ethnic groups. This book too was banned.
The third major work in this context is a novel authored by Fakhar Zaman called Bewatna (Stateless) in 1995. Zaman, another former PPP man in Punjab, wrote an allegorical lament about how (he thought) the Punjabis (by adopting alien languages and cultures) have become aliens on their own soil. The novel, too, was banned.
Unlike certain more radical branches of non-Punjabi ethno-nationalisms, Punjabi nationalism (so far) has not been separatist and has remained largely a literary pursuit, only calling for the Punjabi language to be given its rightful place.
This nationalism’s scholars constantly evoke tales associated with various Punjabi Sufi saints and anti-colonial heroes to emphasise the point that the Punjabi culture was spiritual (instead of orthodox) and chivalrous (instead of hegemonic or exploitative).
In a landmark decision, the Lahore High Court (in 1996), overturned and lifted the ban on all three books.
Echoes of this nationalism can still be heard in the Punjab, though. In a TV talk show about three months ago, the current Defence Minister and a senior member of the ruling PMLN, Khawaja Asif (who hails from the Punjab city of Sialkot), lamented that all kinds of ‘alien cultures’ have been imposed in the Punjab.
He specifically mentioned the erosion of Punjab’s original culture and traditions that were being replaced by a culture imported by those (including fellow Punjabis) who have for long resided in Arab countries.
And though Khawaja Asif never called himself a Punjabi nationalist, his lament did bear the tone first set by Punjabi nationalists.
Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, May 31st, 2015
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Comments (52) Closed
"Jaag Punjabi Jaag" political slogan raised in 1988 provincial elections by Nawaz Sharif with Khawaja Asif partner in crime against Benazir Bhutto. There are many other examples of Punjabi chauvinism in print, electronic media much of it is subtle and some unbridled nationalism. This can all be kosher provided we accept each other and are matured enough to tolerate criticism. Good one NFP
very good article. As I am from Indian Punjab, we are just 3 crore and proudly speak punjabi as our first language. I think medium we are using today like music and movies are helping us alot to promote punjabi language. Around 12 punjabi channels. Infact we have maximum number of punjabi film viewers from across the border. But sad that we never get to release our punjabi movies in pakistan. Pakistani's punjabi speakers are much more than us, around 12 crore. I have never seen pakistan punjab's CM giving speech in punjabi. Here if some punjabi politician is using other language than punjabi, public criticize them badly. Indian Punjabis are proud of their mother tongue and promoting abroad as well. Non-Punjabis are learning bhangra, gidha and all folk songs from us now.
Alas prospects for spoken Punjabi are not looking bright. During my last visit to Lahore and having a craving to speak freely in my mother tongue Punjabi, a shop keeper selling shoes in Anarkali showed defiance and answered me back in Urdu saying it was in keeping with good "tehzeeb" to speak to customers in Urdu.
I honestly put the blame on many of us now promoting Arabic in our land as a language purporting to bring one closer to piety and Islam. It is our own undoing. The trend is on the rise, even supported by the clergy and has been influenced by our own Punjabi expats returning from the Middle East equipped with the necessary ideology and respected as saints.
Islam is so beautiful abstraction that it doesn't virtualize the local customs/cultures as long as they are aligned with the nature rules.
State should be generous and shouldn't meddle into local customs and cultures of the ethnicities.
Very educative and informative as usual.
I don't know any true Pakistani who doesn't claim his ancestors came from further west or north.
Even you Mr. Pracha have family, as you have written before - claim the family migrated from Arabia .. one of the main "mohajir" leader claims nativity to a small place in Iran .. the TV anchor from okara is actually from syria ...
I am surprised there are any punjabis in punjab -- even mian sahib claims he is kashmiri .. and so does shida tully -- oh my -- this will never end! So this tear shedding over punjabi language is rather something else -- khulla-tizzaz
The only way forward for Pakistan is to have more provinces so that small ethnicities can have a sense of ownership. The four provinces and four ethnicity formula of the state has never worked. Let the people of province be responsible for their destiny wit all administrative and financial autonomy. Untill the time this happens and the monopoly of Islamabad is broken, no real progress can be made.
By the way, Punjab itself is not a culture rather Punjab as per name is a collection of folks living around banks of five rivers.
These folks have different customs, dialects, but not fundamentally different from each other.
I am sure there will be backlash but I don't see any fundamental difference between Sindhi and so called Punjabi culture. Folks share similar weather conditions, dance, wadera system, sofi culture, family system, and river Sindh is flowing example of this. However Pakhtoon culture negates wadera system and Baluch are strongly connected to tribal system. So education is key to achieve harmony among different cultures and traditions.
@bezubaan
I tend to disagree with you here. I was in Ambala (Haryana) in February this year and while coming across and talking to many turbaned Sikh gentlemen, I was appalled to note many felt uncomfortable to answer me back in Punjabi. They thought it was socially fashionable to speak in Hindi.
But maybe situation in Punjab is completely different.
Riast ( Bawawalpur state ) historically never been part of Punjab, neither seraiki speaking areas.
@Ghazanfar Sanpal
"By the way, Punjab itself is not a culture rather Punjab as per name is a collection of folks living around banks of five rivers."
That goes for any ethnic group buddy. It is a highly uninformed statement. The people who live in a particular region today are not necessarily descendants of the same people that lived a few hundred years ago in that same area. Look at England, it absorbed a wave of French Prostestants that faced persecution 300 years ago, who now are considered local English. Ethnic groups absorb people/tribes over time.
The Zardari tribe are Baloch in origin, yet migrated to Sindh and are now considered one of them, but no one would've thought that because they have a strong "Sindhi Identity" and a sense of being which completely lacks or doesn't exist at all in Punjab where pride is based on biradari not on being Punjabi.
@bezubaan Please get your facts rights. As far I know, Indian Punjab has almost 95% population of Punjabi ethnicity (i.e) Punjabi Speaking People. The case is different in Pakistani Punjab. Here there are almost 6 crores Saraikies and around 1 crores Pothuharies living in Pothuhar Region. Punjabies are no more than 6 crores. So there is no SINGLE DOMINANT CULTURE in Pakistani Punjab, as that in Indian Punjab
Punjab has been made to sacrifice for others; no CNG during winters and more load shedding of power. Kalabagh Dam which is essential for entire Pakistan is opposed at the behest of our enemy but at false slogans that Punjab will be only beneficiary.
Interesting article. Punjab treats other provinces as its colonies. Discrimination against other provinces must end.
@Arifq
That was a political slogan raised only once. Slogan of Sindhi, Pakhtun, Baluch have always been there and there are parties named accordingly too. There is no Punjabi national front etc. Punjabi always talks of nation and is willing to sacrifice for nation. Other politicians are only worried about their vote banks. False slogans against CPRC are the latest example.
@Nauman M Hi Nauman, i'm from Ambala Cantt. The history of Ambala is very complicated. It was a big province in unified Punjab on our side. It covered area till Patiala in Punjab, Kosi in Himachal and till Jind in Haryana I think. Now it is part of Haryana, not part of Punjab and Haryana's official language is Hindi, and a spoken dialect called Haryanvi. Most of the sikhs here speak a different version of Punjabi, heavily mixed with Haryanvi. My family is from Dist. Ludhiana originally, my g.grandfather moved to Kala Amb, which is now in Himachal and then to Ambala and set up a transport company. So we speak Hindi outside, esp because we live in Cantt, so defence grunts from all over India are here, so Hindi is natural language used here. In our homes we speak Punjabi.
Several years ago I visited a Citi Bank branch that located at Alfalah. The person ahead of me was a rural man who had most probably returned from a Middlen Eastern Country and was there to open foreign currency account. That person could only speak Punjabi. When it was his turn to get the information, a glamorous lady sitting at information counter started answering him in English. That lady had no western accent, so should could very well speak local language but she didn't. That man's face turned red in embarrassment, he started sweating and I could see his hands shivering in shame. The lady kept talking in English till that man finally left.
I was next in the line nervously thinking of English expressions. Today when I go back to Pakistan, I openly and loudly speak Punjabi even at a 5 star restaurant. In upper class gatherings it is very common for people to look at me as if i am some uneducated, backward and uncivilized person. My friends start begging me not to speak Punjabi at places like this especially around women. If I meet that lady today treating Punjabi speakers like this and I will show her mirror in public.
Punjabi language in Pakistan is in real danger. Parents have stopped speaking Punjabi to their children. This trend has propagated from cities to villages. A language can't survive if people stop speaking it.
It does hurt me but truth is that in next 100-200 years, Punjabi will be a dead language in Pakistan.
@Nauman M There r all kinds of people in the world, so generalizing isnt a gud option ... i was in Johor Bahru(malaysia) n happened to meet a sardar who told me that they had been in malaysia for 4 generations, his ancestor came as a policeman in the british indian army ... i happened to hear to speak in a weird malay accented punjabi to someone on his cell ... i asked him whether he spoke punjabi at home, he replied a sardar who cant speak punjabi n read gurmukhi aint a sardar ...
Nadeem sahib, you are spot on. Ironically, when i am overseas i see myself more as a Pukka Punjabi rather then as a Pakistani. And I make no apologies for it. For too long we Punjabis have been told to be less Punjabi in Pakistan. Yet in Pakistan, regional nationalism like Seraiki is promoted. but when it comes to Punjabi we Punjabis are told to be Urdu speaking. Why?
A Punjabi is a Punjabi, it doesn't matter which culture he adopts.
There is no ban in writing publishing making movies dramas etc. in any language.. There is no ban hurdle if you want to wear kurta shalwar, jeans, suit, ajrak or a sultan Rahi style dress minus "Gandasa" or any combination thereof. The differentiation and divide and rule is a cheap parlor trick politicians use as effective marketing strategies to win local votes.. The same politicians will beat the Pakistani Nationalism trumpets at National level political arena ! That's the truth of ethnic and provincial Nationalism. Merit and fair, logically justifiable allocation of resources should prevail above all this my language my culture drama ! No state ever enforced any traditions or cultures the workplace dress code being the only exception rightfully so !
@Nauman M My friend, Ambala is in Haryana state and Punjabi is not spoken in Haryana. So the Sardars in Haryana cannot speak Punjabi anyway. Come to Amritsar or Ludhiana or Gurdaspur and you will hear Pure Punjabi spoken by Pukka Punjabis.
Punjabi isnt even taught in Punjab govt schools as compulsory subject. Note that education is a provincial subject. Punjab govt must make Punjabi compulsory for Punjab govt schools.
Step across the Wagah Border into Indian Punjab and you will find Punjabi culture, Punjabi Language, Punjabi food and everything Punjabi not only being preserved but also alive and kicking and keeping pace with modernity.
A good article. Punjabi's are killing Punjabi language as educated Punjabis take pride in speaking Urdu. In simple words, Punjabis are more liberal in their thinking and accommodating others communities.
@Nauman M Hindi is the main spoken language of Haryana especially cities like Ambala not Punjabi. Punjabi is spoken widely in Punjab and taught in schools. Everyone in Punjab speaks Punjabi unless talking to outsiders who don't know punjabi. Haryanavi has traditionally been the dominant mother tongue in Haryana, with Standard Hindi being spoken as a second language. Haryanvi has no official status, as it is seen as a dialect of Punjabi.
This article is over my head, but it does give insight into the East Pakistan-West Pakistan split (if we can use that more neutral word).
The use of English in India replaced 660 spoken dialects in the administration of India. Since America and the British Commonwealth won World War II, the English language has replaced German texts in engineering and has replaced French as the world's international language. It has become key to internet commerce and knowledge.
In Europe people don't think twice about speaking multiple languages. In Sweden and Norway 40% of TV programming is in English and kids begin to study English in 5th grade.
A girlfriend in China, a hotel executive, received her BA in English. Pakistanis can find jobs in China teaching English. You are only paid expense money but can spend a year or two there, learn Mandarin and make some business contacts.
English becomes a tool if two businessmen don't speak the same dialect.
Punjabi is spoken by about 200 m people a language rich in poetry culture and history. Its demise is Grossly exaggerated.We must be proud of our Language.
@Arifq What is wrong if someone state "Jaag Punjabi Jaag". If people of other ethnicity have the right to talk about their ethnicity then so do Punjabis. Urdu speaker elite should stop framing the Punjabis to talk about their culture. Kindly read the Book Punjab ka Muqadma written by Hanif Ramey. It will open your eyes that why Punjabi nationalism is necessary. Punjabis are infact used by the Urdu speaking elite for their own desires. By declaring every culture of Pakistan as inferior compared to Urdu speaking culture a real divide and hatred is being created. Bangladesh separation is infact one of the reasons of this hatred and the imposition of Urdu created more hatred and nothing else. If every other ethnicity have the right to talk about their identity then Punjabis have the right to talk about their identity as well.
Elections of 2013 has actually drawn the lines. PML N is still the party of Punjabi's. PPP won in Sind, Baluchi's in Baluchistan and nothing to worry about KPK. Infact , ANP lost its face as always and gave space to PTI (otherwise pakhtoons are the best democrats).
@SMS Our people for reasons of affinity with Islam with its roots in Arabia consider it more prestigious but patently a false to claim descent from nameless Arabs as being goodness, which it is not. In Europe, US, Canada & Australasia claiming Arab / Iranian heritage generally devalues a person. Pakistanis however are generally regarded as intellectually superior and professionally qualified assigning us overall similarities with the successful Indian community.
@Nauman M As far as I know Ambala is in the Punjab! When did you move it away from Punjab? Sikhs who visit their holy places in Punjab Pakistan are proud Punjabis and are Punjabi speakers.
Mr. Paracha, your article is creating confusion by using "ethnic groups" in Pakistan. Since the inception of Pakistan, when only two Provinces accepted openly state of Pakistan, 1. Bengal, and 2. Sindh. But after few months Punjab became dominant due to their 80% army and 90 % bureaucracy. So much so at the time of Newaz Sharif era in 1992, there were 97% bureaucrats from Punjab and most of them from Lahore. As fare as ethnic groups are concern, Russia have more than 100 groups, their primary school books are printed in 90 Language, NO Issues. Same with some other countries. All over the world individual or collectively people feel comfortable with their own ethnic group. Now Sindh is following the same foot print of Punjab. Currently in Karachi, 99% police offices top are from interior Sindh, 99% officers from interior Sindh. Mohajirs are no where in Sindh or in Karachi. Even few remaining positions are with Punjabi.
To summarize: let's blame everything on Punjab. They want to stop all the water so let's not let them make a dam. They split up the country, even if this was mentioned in an obscure book written by a politician to shift blame away from his leader. Let's break up the country and introduce more disintegration.
@Pak-Sar-Zameen I have heard this biradri word a lot in karachi. People who have never been or lived in Punjab. Yet they are experts about that province. This biradri type of mentality is everywhere even in karachi among all ethnicities.
Yet an other educating article by Nadeem Paracha. As always waiting for next interesting article by the author.
@Sohail Khan Khan sahib please enhance your knowledge. I am a Potohari and We call us Punjabis or specifically as Potohari Punjabis. A small difference in language do not make you a different person. We follow the same customs and traditions as the whole of Punjab. Infact the whole of Punjab is homogeneous in many views. A small language difference do not make a specific different identity. So 1 crore Potoharis are infact Punjabis. Also Many people consider Seraiki as a diaelect and Seraiki is not some different ethnicity as it is just a dialect in my view. Until 1960s Seraiki was simply known as Punjabi. It is only a recent phenomenon and it will fade away with awareness. A Jutt, Malik or a Chaudary of South Punjab is not different than the person of Upper Punjab. Same tribes inhabit this region from North to South.
Punjabi nationalism is bound to spring up, it will and it may be healthy for the country, as it will lead to a true confederation. But the cost for it for Punjabi's will be far greater than what they think, loss of hegemony they enjoy today, and in fact the split of Saraiki Punjab as they will not have an excuse unless otherwise they play hypocrite, typical of most nationalists. One thing alarming is the fear mongering of these nationalist claiming the death of a language. Punjabi's death started when it adapted Arabic scripture should have stayed with Gurmukhi
NFP - I love you man but would like to suggest a minor correction which has become a major mistake in Pakistan. You wrote "..and the Urdu-speakers (Mohajirs) who .." - Mohajir which means immigrant is not limited to Urdu speaking Pakistanis. Vast majority of non-Urdu speaking immigrants migrated from India. Therefore, referring only Urdu speaking Pakistanis as Mohajir is incorrect. I don't know the numbers but assume that most Mohajirs have passed away hence this word is not applicable to majority of the living Pakistanis. This I say with respect to every Pakistani since we all have (or should have) the same rights in the Land of the Pure.
Punjabis have the least nationalist orientation as an ethnic group in Pakistan. A good number of people in urban Punjab, infact, feel inferior in speaking punjabi in public let alone taking any pride in it. Punjabis are not comfortable in their skins. Jaag Punjabi jaag thing was one off and very short lived if you compare it with the kind of ethno-nationalism that prevails in the rest of the country. Punjabi would have been close to extinction if it was not for British Punjabis (of mostly Pakistani origin) and Indian Punjabis. If Punjabis of Pakistan had followed the suit of their fellow countrymen from other provinces by raising the nationalist slogans of the scale it happens in Karachi, inner sindh, KPK and Baluchistan, Pakistan would have been in real trouble. The way punjabi households, academia, media and intellectuals adopted Urdu is second to none - this shows their broad mindedness and love for their country.
@bezubaan its because Urdu , a language of very thin minority was systematically imposed on Bengalis, Punjabis ,Pakhtuns,siraiki, sindhi and baluchs.All in the name of Pakistan and what these poor folks got in return was slang like Daggay,punjay,akhrot etc. ironically the people who migrated from india came from different parts and didnt have any single language.
when one denies its roots, culture and adopts foriegn languages, religions, customs that results in " inauthentic living" That is just living like a ghost. This kind of living deprived of clear thinking, solid action and living with passion. Then one can follow any piper.
Unlike the widespread misconception in Pakistan, A good number of renowned international scientists on linguistics have broader consensus that Siraiki and Hindko are infact variants of Punjabi and they do not deem these dialects as separate languages from Punjabi - for a detailed overview you can look up 'Punjabi language' in wikipedia. Furthermore, nearly half of the inhabitants of south Punjab are Punjabi speakers and a large number of them migrated from areas which are now in Indian Punjab and Haryana
@DeeEss this is not how a federation works....a strong centre is important...issues are divided as state and central subjects..learn from India
Language is an entity when spoken, gives people a sense connection to each other and their roots. I have observed this while communicating outside Pakistan with many different nationalities. You speak few words of Spanish or Korean all of a sudden people become a lot more friendlier and accepting. Few years ago, I had an opportunity to visit different cities in Punjab. From Lahore to some smaller cities. I found it ironic, in the gathering of educated, when I spoke Punjabi, I was replied in Urdu. When I spoke Urdu, got a reply in English. Mind you, having born and raised in Karachi, with practice, I have become quite good with different dialect of Punjabi. Yes Urdu is still more natural to me with a lot better accent and command.
Please speak as much Punjabi as you want to speak, but please leave the domination of small provinces they are also human beings. Please have big heart and contribute to exchequer in the same proportion. I am not from MQM!
my grand grand father was Pathan from Mardan Physician serving to British in India lost all the link with the original place ,now we are urdu speaking mohajir,you will find many urdu speaking with the name of khan and yousafzai..
@SMS I have stopped getting surprised on Indian folks sweeping statements. But some times it is very hard to keep quite. Do you know how many Rajputs alone are in Pakistani Punjab? I hope you get it.
Im from Lahore and i have parents who are perfect Punjabi speakers and grew up speaking Punjabi in their childhood yet my parents adopted Urdu along with all the other families whom i know for their kids . If you look at the educated middle class in lahore, all of them have stopped using Punjabi and adopted Urdu and even English in some cases. Urdu is the preferred language in shops, restaurants, malls, schools and universities. Its sad to see that the capital of Punjabis is about to lose its langauge.
@Concerned .. Amazing claim. Will you please define 'never'?
British have thrown seeds of English in Elite class and Urdu in other working classes. Since then Aithcheson has been promoting English and Govt. Islamia college has been promoting Urdu. Upper and middle classes are sending a constants message since decades to the other classes of being superior to be able to communicate in English and Urdu.
Learning English and Urdu is the need of the hour but leaving Punjabi and feeling inferior is the one that have damaged Punjabi most.
The problem with ethnicities in Pakistan is that we have to find commonality on top of existing diversity !!
Comments (52) Closed
"Jaag Punjabi Jaag" political slogan raised in 1988 provincial elections by Nawaz Sharif with Khawaja Asif partner in crime against Benazir Bhutto. There are many other examples of Punjabi chauvinism in print, electronic media much of it is subtle and some unbridled nationalism. This can all be kosher provided we accept each other and are matured enough to tolerate criticism. Good one NFP
very good article. As I am from Indian Punjab, we are just 3 crore and proudly speak punjabi as our first language. I think medium we are using today like music and movies are helping us alot to promote punjabi language. Around 12 punjabi channels. Infact we have maximum number of punjabi film viewers from across the border. But sad that we never get to release our punjabi movies in pakistan. Pakistani's punjabi speakers are much more than us, around 12 crore. I have never seen pakistan punjab's CM giving speech in punjabi. Here if some punjabi politician is using other language than punjabi, public criticize them badly. Indian Punjabis are proud of their mother tongue and promoting abroad as well. Non-Punjabis are learning bhangra, gidha and all folk songs from us now.
Alas prospects for spoken Punjabi are not looking bright. During my last visit to Lahore and having a craving to speak freely in my mother tongue Punjabi, a shop keeper selling shoes in Anarkali showed defiance and answered me back in Urdu saying it was in keeping with good "tehzeeb" to speak to customers in Urdu.
I honestly put the blame on many of us now promoting Arabic in our land as a language purporting to bring one closer to piety and Islam. It is our own undoing. The trend is on the rise, even supported by the clergy and has been influenced by our own Punjabi expats returning from the Middle East equipped with the necessary ideology and respected as saints.
Islam is so beautiful abstraction that it doesn't virtualize the local customs/cultures as long as they are aligned with the nature rules.
State should be generous and shouldn't meddle into local customs and cultures of the ethnicities.
Very educative and informative as usual.
I don't know any true Pakistani who doesn't claim his ancestors came from further west or north.
Even you Mr. Pracha have family, as you have written before - claim the family migrated from Arabia .. one of the main "mohajir" leader claims nativity to a small place in Iran .. the TV anchor from okara is actually from syria ...
I am surprised there are any punjabis in punjab -- even mian sahib claims he is kashmiri .. and so does shida tully -- oh my -- this will never end! So this tear shedding over punjabi language is rather something else -- khulla-tizzaz
The only way forward for Pakistan is to have more provinces so that small ethnicities can have a sense of ownership. The four provinces and four ethnicity formula of the state has never worked. Let the people of province be responsible for their destiny wit all administrative and financial autonomy. Untill the time this happens and the monopoly of Islamabad is broken, no real progress can be made.
By the way, Punjab itself is not a culture rather Punjab as per name is a collection of folks living around banks of five rivers.
These folks have different customs, dialects, but not fundamentally different from each other.
I am sure there will be backlash but I don't see any fundamental difference between Sindhi and so called Punjabi culture. Folks share similar weather conditions, dance, wadera system, sofi culture, family system, and river Sindh is flowing example of this. However Pakhtoon culture negates wadera system and Baluch are strongly connected to tribal system. So education is key to achieve harmony among different cultures and traditions.
@bezubaan
I tend to disagree with you here. I was in Ambala (Haryana) in February this year and while coming across and talking to many turbaned Sikh gentlemen, I was appalled to note many felt uncomfortable to answer me back in Punjabi. They thought it was socially fashionable to speak in Hindi.
But maybe situation in Punjab is completely different.
Riast ( Bawawalpur state ) historically never been part of Punjab, neither seraiki speaking areas.
@Ghazanfar Sanpal
"By the way, Punjab itself is not a culture rather Punjab as per name is a collection of folks living around banks of five rivers."
That goes for any ethnic group buddy. It is a highly uninformed statement. The people who live in a particular region today are not necessarily descendants of the same people that lived a few hundred years ago in that same area. Look at England, it absorbed a wave of French Prostestants that faced persecution 300 years ago, who now are considered local English. Ethnic groups absorb people/tribes over time.
The Zardari tribe are Baloch in origin, yet migrated to Sindh and are now considered one of them, but no one would've thought that because they have a strong "Sindhi Identity" and a sense of being which completely lacks or doesn't exist at all in Punjab where pride is based on biradari not on being Punjabi.
@bezubaan Please get your facts rights. As far I know, Indian Punjab has almost 95% population of Punjabi ethnicity (i.e) Punjabi Speaking People. The case is different in Pakistani Punjab. Here there are almost 6 crores Saraikies and around 1 crores Pothuharies living in Pothuhar Region. Punjabies are no more than 6 crores. So there is no SINGLE DOMINANT CULTURE in Pakistani Punjab, as that in Indian Punjab
Punjab has been made to sacrifice for others; no CNG during winters and more load shedding of power. Kalabagh Dam which is essential for entire Pakistan is opposed at the behest of our enemy but at false slogans that Punjab will be only beneficiary.
Interesting article. Punjab treats other provinces as its colonies. Discrimination against other provinces must end.
@Arifq
That was a political slogan raised only once. Slogan of Sindhi, Pakhtun, Baluch have always been there and there are parties named accordingly too. There is no Punjabi national front etc. Punjabi always talks of nation and is willing to sacrifice for nation. Other politicians are only worried about their vote banks. False slogans against CPRC are the latest example.
@Nauman M Hi Nauman, i'm from Ambala Cantt. The history of Ambala is very complicated. It was a big province in unified Punjab on our side. It covered area till Patiala in Punjab, Kosi in Himachal and till Jind in Haryana I think. Now it is part of Haryana, not part of Punjab and Haryana's official language is Hindi, and a spoken dialect called Haryanvi. Most of the sikhs here speak a different version of Punjabi, heavily mixed with Haryanvi. My family is from Dist. Ludhiana originally, my g.grandfather moved to Kala Amb, which is now in Himachal and then to Ambala and set up a transport company. So we speak Hindi outside, esp because we live in Cantt, so defence grunts from all over India are here, so Hindi is natural language used here. In our homes we speak Punjabi.
Several years ago I visited a Citi Bank branch that located at Alfalah. The person ahead of me was a rural man who had most probably returned from a Middlen Eastern Country and was there to open foreign currency account. That person could only speak Punjabi. When it was his turn to get the information, a glamorous lady sitting at information counter started answering him in English. That lady had no western accent, so should could very well speak local language but she didn't. That man's face turned red in embarrassment, he started sweating and I could see his hands shivering in shame. The lady kept talking in English till that man finally left.
I was next in the line nervously thinking of English expressions. Today when I go back to Pakistan, I openly and loudly speak Punjabi even at a 5 star restaurant. In upper class gatherings it is very common for people to look at me as if i am some uneducated, backward and uncivilized person. My friends start begging me not to speak Punjabi at places like this especially around women. If I meet that lady today treating Punjabi speakers like this and I will show her mirror in public.
Punjabi language in Pakistan is in real danger. Parents have stopped speaking Punjabi to their children. This trend has propagated from cities to villages. A language can't survive if people stop speaking it.
It does hurt me but truth is that in next 100-200 years, Punjabi will be a dead language in Pakistan.
@Nauman M There r all kinds of people in the world, so generalizing isnt a gud option ... i was in Johor Bahru(malaysia) n happened to meet a sardar who told me that they had been in malaysia for 4 generations, his ancestor came as a policeman in the british indian army ... i happened to hear to speak in a weird malay accented punjabi to someone on his cell ... i asked him whether he spoke punjabi at home, he replied a sardar who cant speak punjabi n read gurmukhi aint a sardar ...
Nadeem sahib, you are spot on. Ironically, when i am overseas i see myself more as a Pukka Punjabi rather then as a Pakistani. And I make no apologies for it. For too long we Punjabis have been told to be less Punjabi in Pakistan. Yet in Pakistan, regional nationalism like Seraiki is promoted. but when it comes to Punjabi we Punjabis are told to be Urdu speaking. Why?
A Punjabi is a Punjabi, it doesn't matter which culture he adopts.
There is no ban in writing publishing making movies dramas etc. in any language.. There is no ban hurdle if you want to wear kurta shalwar, jeans, suit, ajrak or a sultan Rahi style dress minus "Gandasa" or any combination thereof. The differentiation and divide and rule is a cheap parlor trick politicians use as effective marketing strategies to win local votes.. The same politicians will beat the Pakistani Nationalism trumpets at National level political arena ! That's the truth of ethnic and provincial Nationalism. Merit and fair, logically justifiable allocation of resources should prevail above all this my language my culture drama ! No state ever enforced any traditions or cultures the workplace dress code being the only exception rightfully so !
@Nauman M My friend, Ambala is in Haryana state and Punjabi is not spoken in Haryana. So the Sardars in Haryana cannot speak Punjabi anyway. Come to Amritsar or Ludhiana or Gurdaspur and you will hear Pure Punjabi spoken by Pukka Punjabis.
Punjabi isnt even taught in Punjab govt schools as compulsory subject. Note that education is a provincial subject. Punjab govt must make Punjabi compulsory for Punjab govt schools.
Step across the Wagah Border into Indian Punjab and you will find Punjabi culture, Punjabi Language, Punjabi food and everything Punjabi not only being preserved but also alive and kicking and keeping pace with modernity.
A good article. Punjabi's are killing Punjabi language as educated Punjabis take pride in speaking Urdu. In simple words, Punjabis are more liberal in their thinking and accommodating others communities.
@Nauman M Hindi is the main spoken language of Haryana especially cities like Ambala not Punjabi. Punjabi is spoken widely in Punjab and taught in schools. Everyone in Punjab speaks Punjabi unless talking to outsiders who don't know punjabi. Haryanavi has traditionally been the dominant mother tongue in Haryana, with Standard Hindi being spoken as a second language. Haryanvi has no official status, as it is seen as a dialect of Punjabi.
This article is over my head, but it does give insight into the East Pakistan-West Pakistan split (if we can use that more neutral word). The use of English in India replaced 660 spoken dialects in the administration of India. Since America and the British Commonwealth won World War II, the English language has replaced German texts in engineering and has replaced French as the world's international language. It has become key to internet commerce and knowledge. In Europe people don't think twice about speaking multiple languages. In Sweden and Norway 40% of TV programming is in English and kids begin to study English in 5th grade.
A girlfriend in China, a hotel executive, received her BA in English. Pakistanis can find jobs in China teaching English. You are only paid expense money but can spend a year or two there, learn Mandarin and make some business contacts. English becomes a tool if two businessmen don't speak the same dialect.
Punjabi is spoken by about 200 m people a language rich in poetry culture and history. Its demise is Grossly exaggerated.We must be proud of our Language.
@Arifq What is wrong if someone state "Jaag Punjabi Jaag". If people of other ethnicity have the right to talk about their ethnicity then so do Punjabis. Urdu speaker elite should stop framing the Punjabis to talk about their culture. Kindly read the Book Punjab ka Muqadma written by Hanif Ramey. It will open your eyes that why Punjabi nationalism is necessary. Punjabis are infact used by the Urdu speaking elite for their own desires. By declaring every culture of Pakistan as inferior compared to Urdu speaking culture a real divide and hatred is being created. Bangladesh separation is infact one of the reasons of this hatred and the imposition of Urdu created more hatred and nothing else. If every other ethnicity have the right to talk about their identity then Punjabis have the right to talk about their identity as well.
Elections of 2013 has actually drawn the lines. PML N is still the party of Punjabi's. PPP won in Sind, Baluchi's in Baluchistan and nothing to worry about KPK. Infact , ANP lost its face as always and gave space to PTI (otherwise pakhtoons are the best democrats).
@SMS Our people for reasons of affinity with Islam with its roots in Arabia consider it more prestigious but patently a false to claim descent from nameless Arabs as being goodness, which it is not. In Europe, US, Canada & Australasia claiming Arab / Iranian heritage generally devalues a person. Pakistanis however are generally regarded as intellectually superior and professionally qualified assigning us overall similarities with the successful Indian community.
@Nauman M As far as I know Ambala is in the Punjab! When did you move it away from Punjab? Sikhs who visit their holy places in Punjab Pakistan are proud Punjabis and are Punjabi speakers.
Mr. Paracha, your article is creating confusion by using "ethnic groups" in Pakistan. Since the inception of Pakistan, when only two Provinces accepted openly state of Pakistan, 1. Bengal, and 2. Sindh. But after few months Punjab became dominant due to their 80% army and 90 % bureaucracy. So much so at the time of Newaz Sharif era in 1992, there were 97% bureaucrats from Punjab and most of them from Lahore. As fare as ethnic groups are concern, Russia have more than 100 groups, their primary school books are printed in 90 Language, NO Issues. Same with some other countries. All over the world individual or collectively people feel comfortable with their own ethnic group. Now Sindh is following the same foot print of Punjab. Currently in Karachi, 99% police offices top are from interior Sindh, 99% officers from interior Sindh. Mohajirs are no where in Sindh or in Karachi. Even few remaining positions are with Punjabi.
To summarize: let's blame everything on Punjab. They want to stop all the water so let's not let them make a dam. They split up the country, even if this was mentioned in an obscure book written by a politician to shift blame away from his leader. Let's break up the country and introduce more disintegration.
@Pak-Sar-Zameen I have heard this biradri word a lot in karachi. People who have never been or lived in Punjab. Yet they are experts about that province. This biradri type of mentality is everywhere even in karachi among all ethnicities.
Yet an other educating article by Nadeem Paracha. As always waiting for next interesting article by the author.
@Sohail Khan Khan sahib please enhance your knowledge. I am a Potohari and We call us Punjabis or specifically as Potohari Punjabis. A small difference in language do not make you a different person. We follow the same customs and traditions as the whole of Punjab. Infact the whole of Punjab is homogeneous in many views. A small language difference do not make a specific different identity. So 1 crore Potoharis are infact Punjabis. Also Many people consider Seraiki as a diaelect and Seraiki is not some different ethnicity as it is just a dialect in my view. Until 1960s Seraiki was simply known as Punjabi. It is only a recent phenomenon and it will fade away with awareness. A Jutt, Malik or a Chaudary of South Punjab is not different than the person of Upper Punjab. Same tribes inhabit this region from North to South.
Punjabi nationalism is bound to spring up, it will and it may be healthy for the country, as it will lead to a true confederation. But the cost for it for Punjabi's will be far greater than what they think, loss of hegemony they enjoy today, and in fact the split of Saraiki Punjab as they will not have an excuse unless otherwise they play hypocrite, typical of most nationalists. One thing alarming is the fear mongering of these nationalist claiming the death of a language. Punjabi's death started when it adapted Arabic scripture should have stayed with Gurmukhi
NFP - I love you man but would like to suggest a minor correction which has become a major mistake in Pakistan. You wrote "..and the Urdu-speakers (Mohajirs) who .." - Mohajir which means immigrant is not limited to Urdu speaking Pakistanis. Vast majority of non-Urdu speaking immigrants migrated from India. Therefore, referring only Urdu speaking Pakistanis as Mohajir is incorrect. I don't know the numbers but assume that most Mohajirs have passed away hence this word is not applicable to majority of the living Pakistanis. This I say with respect to every Pakistani since we all have (or should have) the same rights in the Land of the Pure.
Punjabis have the least nationalist orientation as an ethnic group in Pakistan. A good number of people in urban Punjab, infact, feel inferior in speaking punjabi in public let alone taking any pride in it. Punjabis are not comfortable in their skins. Jaag Punjabi jaag thing was one off and very short lived if you compare it with the kind of ethno-nationalism that prevails in the rest of the country. Punjabi would have been close to extinction if it was not for British Punjabis (of mostly Pakistani origin) and Indian Punjabis. If Punjabis of Pakistan had followed the suit of their fellow countrymen from other provinces by raising the nationalist slogans of the scale it happens in Karachi, inner sindh, KPK and Baluchistan, Pakistan would have been in real trouble. The way punjabi households, academia, media and intellectuals adopted Urdu is second to none - this shows their broad mindedness and love for their country.
@bezubaan its because Urdu , a language of very thin minority was systematically imposed on Bengalis, Punjabis ,Pakhtuns,siraiki, sindhi and baluchs.All in the name of Pakistan and what these poor folks got in return was slang like Daggay,punjay,akhrot etc. ironically the people who migrated from india came from different parts and didnt have any single language.
when one denies its roots, culture and adopts foriegn languages, religions, customs that results in " inauthentic living" That is just living like a ghost. This kind of living deprived of clear thinking, solid action and living with passion. Then one can follow any piper.
Unlike the widespread misconception in Pakistan, A good number of renowned international scientists on linguistics have broader consensus that Siraiki and Hindko are infact variants of Punjabi and they do not deem these dialects as separate languages from Punjabi - for a detailed overview you can look up 'Punjabi language' in wikipedia. Furthermore, nearly half of the inhabitants of south Punjab are Punjabi speakers and a large number of them migrated from areas which are now in Indian Punjab and Haryana
@DeeEss this is not how a federation works....a strong centre is important...issues are divided as state and central subjects..learn from India
Language is an entity when spoken, gives people a sense connection to each other and their roots. I have observed this while communicating outside Pakistan with many different nationalities. You speak few words of Spanish or Korean all of a sudden people become a lot more friendlier and accepting. Few years ago, I had an opportunity to visit different cities in Punjab. From Lahore to some smaller cities. I found it ironic, in the gathering of educated, when I spoke Punjabi, I was replied in Urdu. When I spoke Urdu, got a reply in English. Mind you, having born and raised in Karachi, with practice, I have become quite good with different dialect of Punjabi. Yes Urdu is still more natural to me with a lot better accent and command.
Please speak as much Punjabi as you want to speak, but please leave the domination of small provinces they are also human beings. Please have big heart and contribute to exchequer in the same proportion. I am not from MQM!
my grand grand father was Pathan from Mardan Physician serving to British in India lost all the link with the original place ,now we are urdu speaking mohajir,you will find many urdu speaking with the name of khan and yousafzai..
@SMS I have stopped getting surprised on Indian folks sweeping statements. But some times it is very hard to keep quite. Do you know how many Rajputs alone are in Pakistani Punjab? I hope you get it.
Im from Lahore and i have parents who are perfect Punjabi speakers and grew up speaking Punjabi in their childhood yet my parents adopted Urdu along with all the other families whom i know for their kids . If you look at the educated middle class in lahore, all of them have stopped using Punjabi and adopted Urdu and even English in some cases. Urdu is the preferred language in shops, restaurants, malls, schools and universities. Its sad to see that the capital of Punjabis is about to lose its langauge.
@Concerned .. Amazing claim. Will you please define 'never'?
British have thrown seeds of English in Elite class and Urdu in other working classes. Since then Aithcheson has been promoting English and Govt. Islamia college has been promoting Urdu. Upper and middle classes are sending a constants message since decades to the other classes of being superior to be able to communicate in English and Urdu.
Learning English and Urdu is the need of the hour but leaving Punjabi and feeling inferior is the one that have damaged Punjabi most.
The problem with ethnicities in Pakistan is that we have to find commonality on top of existing diversity !!