ISLAMABAD: The Cabinet Ministerial Committee on Implementation of Urdu Language in Government Departments decided on Tuesday to write to all institutions, including the judiciary and the armed forces, to conduct their correspondence in Urdu.

The committee also suggested that Urdu be included as a subject in the Central Superior Services (CSS) examination, and that the inaugural plaque for development projects, invitations and signboards be printed in Urdu.

In 2015, a three-member bench headed by then chief justice Jawwad S. Khawaja directed the federal and provincial governments to adopt Urdu as the country’s official language.

The decision read: “In the governance of the federation and the provinces there is hardly any necessity for the use of the colonial language which cannot be understood by the public at large.”

But the decision has barely been implemented at the federal and provincial level levels since it was passed. Its implementation was also directed by Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi.

The committee meeting on Tuesday was chaired by Federal Minister for Education and Professional Training Balighur Rehman, and attended by Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Sardar Mohammad Yousaf, Minister for Housing and Works Mohammad Akram Khan Durrani and Advisor to the Prime Minister Irfan Siddiqui.

The committee decided to formulate comprehensive recommendations to implement Urdu as the official language at the federal and provincial levels and present them to the prime minister.

It also recommended the inclusion of Urdu as a compulsory subject in all competitive examinations, including the Federal Public Service Commission’s examinations, while command over the language would be compulsory for inductions on permanent jobs.

The committee has also decided to brief the prime minister on the status of the implementation of the decision so far.

The committee directed the government, semi-government institutions – including the parliament, judiciary and military – to gradually adopt Urdu as their official language and compile an implementation report in this regard.

Committee chairman Mr Rehman and its members directed that efforts to promote the national language be expedited further.

The committee also recommended that informative and literary boards, invitations and nameplates be written in Urdu, and measures should be taken for the capacity-building of government officials in this regard.

During a briefing, the committee was informed that around 28 books are available online that provide guidance on official noting, drafting and correspondence, while 90pc of websites of government institutions have been converted to Urdu.

The meeting also reviewed mid-term and long-term steps proposed earlier by the seven-member committee.

Mr Yousaf said most citizens could comprehend Urdu, and national development would not be possible without prioritising the Urdu language.

Mr Durrani said implementation efforts to adopt Urdu at the national level should be accelerated with renewed spirit, while Mr Siddiqui said the implementation of Urdu as the official language was a constitutional and national responsibility and further delays in this regard would not be tolerated.

Published in Dawn, January 10th, 2018