ISLAMABAD: Speakers at a conference on linguistic and cultural rights criticised the deprivation, lack of recognition and indifference towards linguistic nationalities.

The conference demanded establishment of the national commission on languages, carrying out amendment to the Constitution to make these languages official and national, adoption of mother tongue as medium of instruction and conducting census in a fair and transparent manner.

The conference titled ‘Language Plurality and Reconciliation in Pakistan’ was organised by Saraiki Lok Saanjh in collaboration with Awami National Party (ANP), Awami Jamhoori Party and Saraiki Journalists Saanjh on Saturday.

According to a statement, speakers criticised the state’s unitary linguistic nationalism which had deprived all except one culture and language of the country.

ANP leader and former provincial minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain presided over the conference.

Stressing the urgent need for the state to recognise linguistic plurality, Mr Hussain exemplified the case of Saraiki language whose existence and inclusion in census had materialised as a result of language activism.

Dr Ahsan Wagha stated that the narrative of lingua franca used by the state to create hegemonic space for Urdu was a myth. He informed the participants that there were three criteria of grammatical and correct usage, intelligibility and context as pillars that constitute language.

He contended that ordinary speakers of languages never privilege grammatical precision over practical communication and hence people could learn and use any language intelligibly.

Jami Chandio, a representative of Sindh’s civil society and expert on federalism, underlined the need for plural recognition of language by Pakistani state. He emphasised that wider linguistic and cultural recognition was the essence of federalism.

Khan Zaman Kakar, central youth affairssecretary of the ANP, contended that singular nationalism of Pakistani state and its imposition of Urdu as a hegemonic structure on other nationalities was anti-human and a murderous force.

Mushtaq Gaadi of the Quaid-i-Azam University stressed establishment of language commission which was an unfinished agenda of the 18th Constitutional Amendment.

Published in Dawn, February 19th, 2023