ISLAMABAD, Nov 1: The conversion of the National Language Authority (NLA) into a department is a violation of the constitution. The status of the NLA cannot be changed until Urdu is made the official language of Pakistan.
This was stated by renowned scholar Prof Fateh Mohammad Malik while speaking at a seminar “National language, identity and integration” here on Thursday.
Prof Malik said the NLA was established to ensure that Urdu was made the official language of Pakistan within 15 years after the promulgation of the constitution of 1973.
However, the NLA has now been renamed as the National Language Promotion Department and put under the Ministry of National Heritage and Integration. He blamed the successive governments for not declaring Urdu as the official language of the country. “Our rulers feel pride in speaking English even though they have no command over this foreign language.”
Prof Malik also said it was embarrassing that Afghan President Hamid Karzai during his recent visit to Pakistan spoke in Urdu at a joint press conference with President Asif Ali Zardari but the latter spoke in English.
Federal Minister for National Heritage and Integration Samina Khalid Ghurki said she would play her role in restoring the name of the NLA. The minister instructed Dr Anwar Ahmad, the managing director of National Language Promotion Department, to move a summery in this regard.
“There are five per cent people who have become hurdle in implementation of the 1973 Act, but I will try my best to declare Urdu as the official language,” she promised.
Vice Chancellor Fatima Jinnah Women University Dr Samina Amin Qadir said some words of Urdu were becoming obsolete and being replaced with English words.
“We have to take steps to save our language. Just like English courses, teaching of Urdu language courses should also be started,” she said.
Federal Secretary MNHI Asaf Ghafoor dispelled the impression that Urdu had dominated other local languages. He said steps would be taken to declare Urdu as the official language.
Scholar Dr Tabassum Kashmiri said Urdu was the sign of Muslim rulers in the subcontinent. The refinement in Urdu cannot be found in other languages of the subcontinent. However, he said because of Urdu, local languages had become second and third grade languages.
Bahauddin Zikria University’s dean of Urdu department Dr Rubina Tareen said Urdu should be introduced in offices.
Dr Uzma Farman of Karachi University said Urdu had united the people of different provinces.
However, Dr Shah Mohammad Mari, an educationist from Balochistan, said Baloch people were not ready to accept Urdu as the national language, “because all dictators used this language to issue orders against the Baloch. It should be called state language,” he said.
Former head of Peshawar University’s Urdu department, Dr Nazeer Ahmed Tabassum said Urdu was a bond among different segments of society because they interacted with each other in this language.