The 18th Constitutional Amendment injected 102 changes into the Constitution, but it did not touch Article 251 which deals with National language. According to the said Article, Urdu is the National language and English may be used for official purposes "until arrangements are made for its replacement". However, a Provincial Assembly may by law prescribe measurers for teaching, promotion and use of provincial language in addition to national language which is Urdu. If anything has happened in pursuance of this constitutional diktat it is that Urdu has acquired the status of lingua franca, is used as communication tool in government offices but nowhere a replacement of English. If any of the provincial assemblies has succeeded promoting a regional language in any meaningful manner in any meaningful way there is no hard evidence. In fact reality on the ground is that regional languages are being allowed to die their natural death. The bitter truth is that as a medium of communication in private-sector businesses and private-run schools even Urdu is being replaced by English. It is not one's proficiency in Urdu but his grasp of English that tends to land him in a plush chair. Even when parents communicate with one another in local language they would prefer to talk to their children in Urdu or English. So, as we seek status of national language for all the regional languages the above should serve as an inescapable backdrop. Somehow whenever some kind of debate erupts over the fate of regional languages in Pakistan a sentimental journey is undertaken - as was the case with speeches at the Lok Virsa and the public hearing on a private member bill on regional languages in a Senate committee. It's true many got killed in Dhaka in 1952 seeking national status of Bengali, but the fact remains that East Pakistan remained part of Pakistan for another twenty years until the people over there were denied their democratic right to form government following their electoral victory. Who doesn't love one's 'maanboli' and who doesn't sing the Heer of Waris Shah? But before we set out to accord national status to all regional languages and introduce them as mediums of instruction in schools and offices we should know if that would be pragmatic. Sentimentality apart the fact is that we do not know the definition of a regional language, the area of its sweep, the number of people speak it and if it has its own script or not. What little we know about this subject an incident merits mention. Senator Sassui Palejo's bill wanted national status for four regional languages - Punjabi, Sindhi, Pashto and Balochi. But it was rejected by others who didn't find Seraiki in it. Another member wanted the inclusion of Hindko and Brahvi also. But then why not to include some half a dozen dialects that are spoken in Northern Areas and Azad Kashmir? If four decades on Urdu is yet to secure official status equal to English's in Pakistan's high offices - Supreme Court has now asked FPSC to conduct exams in Urdu - what would be fate of the proposed constitutional amendment on giving regional languages national status? Love for mother tongues is there but demand for their national status is unrealistic. The reality is that as we enter digital era even Urdu is at risk of being overwhelmed by English.
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