THERE has been hue and cry over the recent decision of the Lahore High Court that directs the relevant authorities to hold the Civil Superior Services exam in 2018 in Urdu.

The objection to the high court decision seems ridiculous. Urdu is our national language and an overwhelming majority of the educated lot can better express their ideas in it as compared to English. Every year most candidates, who appear in CSS exams fail in the compulsory English essay paper only because English is a foreign language.

The decision to hold the CSS competition in Urdu will go a long way towards the gradual adoption of Urdu as the medium of instruction at schools and higher educational institutions thus paving the way for creativity in academics to replace the present system of rote learning.

No doubt English is an international language and it must be given due importance but not at the cost of our national language.

Irfan ullah North

Waziristan

(2)

I HEARD with shock the news that the Lahore High Court has ordered that the 2018 CSS examination be held in Urdu.

No doubt Urdu is our national language, but we cannot survive in the modern world without English which is the country’s seconda language and gave Pakistan an advantage over other countries in the early years of its existence.

I request the authorities and the honourable court that the aspiring CSS candidates should be allowed the option to sit the exam in either of the two languages.

Sidratul Muntaha

Islamabad

(3)

THE Lahore High Court recently ordered the Federal Public Service Commission to hold CSS examinations in Urdu. This depicts a narrow understanding of the scope of Urdu. This approach will not produce positive results.

Instead, reforms must start from schools. Urdu is a remarkable language. It has a rich vocabulary, literature, prose and poetry. We can switch over from English to Urdu in CSS examinations after reforms are implemented.

Abrar Daudpota

Pano Aqil

Published in Dawn, February 27th, 2017