ISLAMABAD: The speakers at conference on linguistic and cultural rights in Pakistan criticized the deprivation, lack of recognition and indifference to linguistic nationalities by the state.
The conference demanded establishment of National Commission on languages, amending constitution to make these languages official and national, adoption of mother tongue as medium of Instruction, and conducting census in fair and transparent manner.
The conference titled as ‘Language Plurality and Reconciliation in Pakistan’ was organized by Siraiki Lok Saanjh in collaboration with Awami National Party (ANP), Awami Jamhoori Party and Siraiki Journalists Saanjh here on Saturday.
Mian Iftikhar Hussain, leader of ANP and former provincial minister presided over the conference.
While stressing the urgent need for the state to recognize linguistic plurality, he exemplified the case of Saraiki language whose existence and inclusion in census has materialized 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 is a myth. He apprised the participants that there are 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 can 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 emphasized that wider linguistic and cultural recognition is the essence of federalism.
Khan Zaman Kakar, central youth affairs secretary of the ANP, contended that singular nationalism of Pakistani state and its imposition of Urdu as a hegemonic structure on other nationalities is anti-human and a murderous force.
Mushtaq Gaadi of the Quaid-i-Azam University stressed establishment of language commission which is an unfinished agenda of the 18th Constitutional Amendment.
Others who spoke on the occasion included Prof Wahid Bakhsh Buzdar, Advocate Salahuddin Mengal, Senator Haji Hidayat Ullah of the ANP, Zubair Torwali, Gul Rahman Hamdard Zaman Sagar, Irshad Laghari, Asad Jutah and Mazhar Nawaz.
