Ahmed Raza
In a landmark announcement, Maryam Nawaz Sharif, the newly elected Chief Minister of Punjab, Pakistan’s largest province, has pledged to introduce Punjabi language as a subject in schools. This move addresses a decades-long debate about the importance of preserving and promoting the Punjabi language.
Chief Minister Sharif expressed her gratitude to the people of Punjab for electing her and acknowledged the significance of the Punjabi language and culture. She highlighted the strength and resilience of Punjabi women, who are the pillars of their families. She emphasized the importance of parents teaching their children Punjabi and pledged her support for the revival of Punjabi cinema.
As the first female chief minister of Punjab, Sharif called for the preservation of Punjabi culture to safeguard the language’s heritage. She advocated for incorporating Punjabi cultural celebrations into the educational curriculum at all levels, promoting a sense of pride in the Punjabi language among the people.
Sharif urged parents to instill a sense of cultural connection in their children to prevent the language from fading away. She also renewed her commitment to revitalize Punjabi cinema and acknowledged the contributions of renowned Punjabi poets and literary figures, including Amrita Pritam, a poet known for her work on the partition of India.
The Importance of Punjabi Language
Punjabi is the native language of millions of Punjabis, yet it hasn’t been included in the school curriculum unlike other regional languages such as Sindhi, Pashto, and Balochi. These languages are taught at the primary level to provide a strong foundation for education and allow children to express themselves freely.
Punjabi is one of the most widely spoken languages globally, with an estimated 113 million native speakers. Within Pakistan, Punjabi is written using the Shahmukhi alphabet, based on the Perso-Arabic script. In neighboring India, Punjabi is written using the Gurmukhi alphabet, derived from Indic scripts. According to the 2017 Pakistan census, over 80 million people in Pakistan speak Punjabi, constituting nearly 39% of the country’s population.
A Step Towards Preserving Punjabi Culture
Author and critic Mushtaaq Soofi praised the announcement as a positive development. He emphasized the importance of political leaders prioritizing and addressing the neglected issues of the people. Soofi believes Chief Minister Sharif’s announcement has the potential to finally implement the long-standing demand of the Punjabi intelligentsia to introduce mother-tongue education.
Soofi argues that the issue of mother-tongue education has both legal and social aspects. The Pakistani Constitution allows provincial governments to declare official languages within their provinces, similar to how Sindhi was declared an official language in 1972. From a social perspective, Punjabi has been systematically neglected in areas like job opportunities and education. Soofi believes that the endorsement of Punjabi by the ruling elite and influential figures will encourage Punjabis to embrace their language.
However, Soofi also highlights the need for significant resources to effectively implement mother-tongue education in schools, colleges, and universities across Punjab, a province with over 120 million people. He emphasizes the importance of Punjabis themselves taking ownership of preserving their language.
Soofi pointed out how the British Raj in India prioritized English and Urdu for official use, leading to the neglect of Punjabi. While Urdu holds national language status in Pakistan, Soofi stresses the importance of preserving native languages. Research suggests that the Punjabi language community, despite being the largest in Pakistan, faces negative perceptions. Some associate Punjabi with illiteracy and rural areas, leading to a decline in its usage. This decline, fuelled by the dominance of Urdu and English, threatens the future of Punjabi. The research concludes that unless Punjabi speakers take serious initiatives to promote their language, its future remains uncertain.
Chief Minister Sharif’s announcement marks a historic step towards preserving and promoting the Punjabi language and culture. By introducing Punjabi as a subject in schools, the government aims to instill pride in the language among future generations and ensure its continued use for years to come.
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