Imperial language

Our national language is Urdu and despite the fact that it is spoken widely across the country, it often seems that English has replaced Urdu in terms of the importance it is accorded. More than 50 percent of Pakistanis cannot speak English. Does this make them all inferior, uneducated or illiterate? When so many children have not had the good fortune to be born to an educated household or to attend a private English-medium school, they are left lacking confidence and are bullied or looked down on for their poor or nonexistent English. This follows them through to adulthood and becomes part of their personality.

Meanwhile, society continues to consider English more important than Urdu, given its status as a global language and the fact that most school subjects are taught in English. It is fine to learn a language that serves as a source of knowledge and is widely spoken around the globe, but in doing so, we should not forget our national culture and legacy. Urdu is an integral part of our identity and not something we should think of abandoning so easily.

Muhammad Usman Raja

Rawalpindi