anguage is a sociopolitical phenomenon linked to political power. It is an important identity marker at individual and societal levels. When Pakistan came into being, the question of national language came up. It was decided at the top-level that Urdu would be the sole state language. A major reason for this decision was that Urdu had had an important role in the Pakistan movement, strengthening the case that Muslims were a separate nation (different religion, different culture and different language). Thus, most Pakistani Muslims have an emotional association with Urdu. Another point mentioned in favour of Urdu was that it could be a lingua franca in various parts of the country. Interestingly, Urdu was then the mother tongue of only 3 percent of the population of Pakistan. The largest linguistic group was Bengalis who constituted 55 percent of the population. They were followed by Punjabis, who constituted 28 percent of the population of Pakistan.

The announcement that Urdu was to be the sole state language of Pakistan was not welcomed in East Pakistan. Bengalis, the largest linguistic group, wanted Bangla to be a state language as well. This demand was put forth by various strata of society in East Pakistan at various forums. However, the demand was rejected by the then ruling elite of the country, even though many countries have multiple national languages. The demand for Bangla language was supported by agitation which took a violent turn when on February 21, 1952, when police opened fire on protesters at Dacca University. This led to widespread unrest in the country. Finally, in 1956, the government accepted the demand and announced that Urdu and Bangla would be the two national languages of Pakistan.

There was meanwhile no such demand from the Punjabis, the second largest linguistic group, to declare Punjabi as an official language. There could be three potential reasons for not putting forth the demand for Punjabi to be a national language. First, Punjabi, unlike Bangla, has a close affinity with Urdu in terms of grammar, vocabulary and syntax. Second, the Punjabi speaking population, unlike the Bangla-speaking community, was associated with power centres situated in West Pakistan. Third, many urbanised Punjabis preferred Urdu over Punjabi (their mother language). On the other hand, Bengalis considered the Bangla language as their pride and put up consistent efforts to have it recognised as a national language.

Many Punjabis living in urban area have embraced Urdu at the expense of their mother tongue. They have brought up their children providing them exposure to Urdu and English. For the last three generations many urban Punjabis have excluded their mother tongue from their homes. Punjabi is not taught as a subject in schools because of its perceived lower social status. On the contrary, attitudes towards Sindhi and Pashto are different. Sindhi and Pashto languages are therefore taught in schools and are benefiting from academic support.

A language is not just an objective tool of communication but also a potent identity marker at individual and societal levels. Serious efforts are needed to make the Punjabi a subject offered in schools.Disowning of the Punjabi by urban Punjabis has serious implications for the future of the language.

A language is not just an objective tool of communication but also a potent identity marker at individual and societal levels. Unfortunately, many urban Punjabis in Pakistan have never made an effort to have the Punjabi taught in schools. This virtual disowning of the Punjabi by the Punjabis has serious implications for the future of the language in Pakistan. This can be seen in the ever-declining number of people who profess to speak Punjabi in Pakistan. In 1951, the Punjabi language population was recorded at 57.08 percent. In 1961, the number had decreased to 56.39 percent. In the 1981 census, Punjabi language was owned by 48.17 percent. In 1988, its share had declined to 44.15 percent. In the 2017 census, it was recorded at 38.78 percent. In the 2023 census, it shrank to 36.98 percent.

Simultaneously, the Urdu language population, which was only 3.5 percent in 1951, increased to 9.25 percent in the 2023 census. Similarly, the Sindhi language population, which was 12 percent in 1951, has increased to 14.57 percent in the 2023 census. The Pashto language population which was 8.12 percent in the 1951 census, has increased to 18.15 percent in the census of 2023. Likewise, the Balochi language population, which was 3.02 percent in 1951, has increased to 3.40 percent in the 2023 census. The Seraiki language population, which was 2 percent in 1947, has increased to 12.19 percent in the 2023 census.

These figures reveal that except for Punjabi, all other languages are spoken now by a greater proportion of people. This is true of Urdu, Sindhi, Pashto, Balochi and Seraiki. Punjabi language population, on the contrary, has declined consistently in every census since 1951. There can be several reasons for this consistent trend. One major cause of this is the disowning of the Punjabi language by the urban Punjabis in Pakistan. Many of them in the younger generations are disconnected from Punjabi and consider Urdu as their first tongue. Another important reason is that, unlike Pashto and Sindhi, there is no academic support for the Punjabi language as it is not taught in schools. The consistent decline of the Punjabi language population is a serious challenge for the future of the Punjabi language.

To revitalise the Punjabi language some urgent measures are required. The first and foremost is the introduction of Punjabi as a compulsory subject in schools. For this purpose, a comprehensive language policy should be introduced and implemented in letter and spirit. There is a need also for conferences, seminars, festivals, exhibitions, workshops and literary events to foster pride in the language.

The media can play an important part in the promotion of a living language. It is important to produce and feature Punjabi content in print, electronic and digital platforms. Finally, there needs to be an effective and sustained movement to promote use of Punjabi at homes and in communities in routine communication and cultural practices.

The author is an educationist. He can be reached at: shahidksiddiqui@gmail.com