A Petition for National Languages in Pakistan

A Petition for National Languages in Pakistan

(This is a petition on the behalf of the people of Pakistan to demand national language status for Punjabi, Pushto, Sindhi, Siraiki and Balochi)

Considering that:

- Pakistan came into being in 1947 on the basis of the Lahore Resolution (also called Pakistan Resolution) that stated that вthe constituent units shall be autonomous and sovereignв;

- A majority of the people in the lands and the areas that formed Pakistan supported the Pakistan resolution believing that they will have right to self-rule and complete authority to preserve and promote their linguistic, social, cultural, political and economic rights;

- Those dreams were shattered when the Establishment in the newly born country denied the genuine rights of the вconstituentв units. They imposed on them the so-called Indo-Muslim culture ignoring and rejecting the cultures of the indigenous people;

- The Establishment through nefarious designs made Pakistan a distinct country with a national language that was not a mother language in any of the federating units. In other words none of the languages of the federating units was declared as the national language of the new country. It created sense of deprivation and alienation among the people of Pakistan;

- The situation worsened when demands for the national language status for Bengali were denied in the early years. It is generally agreed that the seeds of the dismemberment of Pakistan were sown on 21st February 1952 when protestors demanding the national language status for their mother language were fired upon and several people were killed and injured;

- As a direct result of the ruthless and unjust policies, the country dismembered in 1971. It is unfortunate that the Establishment has not learnt any lesson and is still continuing with the same oppressive policies against the indigenous people, their languages and cultures.

Also considering that:

- The denial of the national language status to the languages of the indigenous people is the denial of their historic, social, cultural, linguistic, political and economic rights and their national ethos and the heritage.

Recognizing that:

- Pakistan is a multi-national and multi-lingual country like many other countries of the world and it is in the interest of the stability and the harmony in the country that it recognizes the languages of its constituent/federating units. Such a step will strengthen the federation and give all its citizens a sense of participation in the country ending their alienation.

Also recognizing that:

- It is universally accepted that as a tool of education and communication, вthe mother language has a powerful role in the formation of the individual, and is the most powerful instruments of preserving and developingв peoplesв вtangible and intangible heritageв. Also mother language has been acknowledged as an important and precious element of the cultural heritage and identity of a community and a people. Thus giving recognition to the languages of the indigenous people in Pakistan would acknowledge tremendous creativity in those languages and the rich heritage of those people and their cultures.

The people belonging to the four вconstituentв units of Pakistan and their sympathizers all around the globe hereby demand that Punjabi, Pushto, Sindhi, Siraiki and Balochi в the languages of the indigenous people of Pakistan в be immediately declared as the national languages of Pakistan. This is the eternal right of the people of Pakistan and should be accorded to them without any further delay.