Editorial: Imposing Arabic language on Baloch children
With a longstanding demand of Baloch and Pashtun nationalists over the past many years in Balochistan concerning the introduction of mother tongues (Balochi, Pashtu and Bravi) as the medium of instruction at the educational institutions, the government of Balochistan stunned everyone on Friday with its ridiculous decision to introduce Arabic language from class one to class tenth all over the province.
Balochistan is the only province in the country where a Baloch child cannot read or write Balochi because (s)he is not taught Balochi at school level either as a medium of instruction or a language. Same is the case of the Pashtun children or the Bravi speaker Balochs who are denied the opportunity to learn their mother tongues at school level. This is the government-backed cultural genocide of different nationalities living in Balochistan, to say the least.
Over the years, the society in Balochistan has been silently questioning the logic behind the forceful imposition of Urdu, which is the mother tongue of barely 1% of the total population of the province, as a medium of instruction. The Balochs and Pashtuns have always seen this with resentment as Urdu was taught to them on gunpoint at the cost of surrendering their own mother tongues. Likewise, they would not complain so passionately if some room was left for their mother tongues at the schools. What is most disturbing is the fact that currently Balochi or Pashtu are not taught at any level inside the schools of Balochistan. On the top of it, Arabic was forcefully imposed on the students during General Zia-ul-Haq’s process of Islamization inside the educational institutions. Children were forced to learn an extra language, along with Urdu and English, at middle level starting from class six up till eight. That was three-year unnecessary learning of Arabic which has now been extend to ten years of learning.
Chief Minister Nawab Mohammad Aslam Raisani’s most surprising decision since assuming the office comes in the wake of a boycott call given by the Baloch Students’ Organization (BSO-Azad) of Pakistan Studies text books. Hundreds of text books of Pakistan Studies were torched all over Balochistan the other day by the activists of the organization. The BSO and Baloch intellectuals maintain that the Pakistan Studies subject does not utter a single word about Baloch history and historic figures. The text books taught at schools and colleges glorify wars, invasions and conversions. They forcefully impose an Islamic and Pakistani identity on the students and keep them in complete darkness about their own history, culture and heroes. The history taught at schools seems more like a script of a play which very tactically excludes diversity, secularism and multiculturalism.
The text books taught at schools make kids believe that their history begins with the arrival of Arab invader (whom the books identify as a great Muslim conqueror) Mohammad bin Qasim in 712 AD in Sindh. Before his arrival, the indoctrination goes on, there was darkness, ignorance and no civilization. In the words of Hussain Haqqani, Pakistani ambassador to the United States, this is the Nasim Ejazi (an Urdu novelist who glorifies Muslim invasions and ridicules non-Muslims) interpretation of history.
BSO’s rebellion against the text books is an extraordinary development in the history of nationalistic politics in Pakistan. Baloch students have done what Sindhi and Pashtun nationalists have not been able to do over the years in spite of living under a similar distortion of their history and civilization. This clearly manifests the very high level of political consciousness that exists among the Balochs. The BSO revolt is in fact the outburst of anger and dissatisfaction of the past six decades. The Baloch kids have always wondered why they were not introduced with their own heroes like Chakar Khan Rind, Gul Khan Naseer, Syed Zahoor Shah Hashmi or Atta Shahd. The Pak Studies books hardly mention a sentence about Mir Yousaf Aziz Magsi, Mir Abdul Aziz Kurd, Mir Ghose Baksh Bizeno, Prince Abdul Karim or any other Baloch leader. It is this reason that they have finally and angrily decided to boycott the Pakistan Studies text books.
Amid the BSO boycott, the decision to impose Arabic language at all schools and colleges needs to be reviewed. How could a handful of politicians take such a decision within a few minutes without holding broad-based consultation with educationists, intellectuals and scholars of Balochistan? This is clearly a politically motivated decision of the government of Balochistan to please some Arab sheikdoms. Learning Arabic language in the contemporary world is totally meaningless for the Baloch kids or the children of any other non-Arab nation. Arabic does not hold any significance in today’s world where English-speaking countries like the US dominate all technological advancements. While teaching English at primary level makes sense, Arabic even does not merit a second thought as a more pressing issue right now is the induction of mother tongues at schools and colleges.
Every time one questions the significance of learning Arabic, we are told by the supporters of the language that it will help us in the Life Hereafter!
The Baloch Students Organization, the Balochi Academy, the Bravi Academy and the Pashtu Academy and all nationalist parties should take immediate notice of the government decision and protest against it as stridently as possible. Indigenous cultures should not be blackmailed on the name of religion. Learning Arabic does not in any way translate into making people better Muslims. A Baloch or a Pashutun will remain a “good Muslim” even without obtaining a degree in Arabic. The official decision that paves the way for Arab cultural imperialism on Baloch and Pashtun society should be resisted tooth and nail until the government of Balochistan withdraws its decision. In addition, concerted efforts should be made by the local populations to force the government to introduce mother tongues at schools. Otherwise, these local languages will perish in the fast changing world.
narender singh: 
Hasnain: 
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ABU BAKAR: 
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Well said, dear Malik Siraj Akbar. Agree with every single word you say. Unfortunetely royal servants (shahi nokar) are bent to create a crippled generation of Baloch in the decades to come bent under the burden of alien languages spending all their energy in learning languages of no use in practical life. I am of the opinion that the Baloch should concentrate on one thing at the most at this stage (of course I mean those who still want to live a life of slavery and not those who do not accept anything less than independence of Balochistan) and that thing is to demand the separation of Baloch and Pashtun areas by creating a Baloch province based upon the historical land of the Baloch. This division should be consensual and without a delay. Baloch and Pashtuns have separate areas historically and should part away from each other on the basis of their historical regions so that ethno-national provinces are created and each nation should take a course in the interest of their people. This division will surely come some day in a not too far future as resources are limited and demands are ever increasing so why wait and get people killed in ethnic clashes. These two forced-wedded nations are to be separated so that each one lives in its historical homeland and enjoys the little or much resources and plan its future in the interest of its nation. Such a solution will also bar this type of senseless decisions that govts imposed on us by Islamabad take to please their bosses at the centre. It is suprising that the Baloch salaried class is silent on such an important issue of the separation of Pashtun areas from Balochistan which were historically a part of Afghanistan and never that of Balochistan. Usually it is the salaried and the jobless educated class which struggles for a province of its own so that they have better chances on less disptud resources but our salaried class is unfortunately happy to comprise with the non-Baloch class as long as they are in service and become mullah, and sometime also nationalist, as soon as they retire.
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Cultural genocide . . .! Spot on Balochhal!!!
Thanks for such a brilliant editorial reflecting genuine concerns of the people of Balochistan.
Nawab Bugti introduced Balochi language as a medium of instruction at primary level but later Punjabi nationalist government of Nawaz Sharif abolished this policy.
This government has gone mad by introducing Arabic language which has nothing to do with our history, culture, and even geography.
If urdu as an academic language has been imposed from above, then Arabic language is super-imposed by this government. We all know the motivation behind this decision.
If Baloch can successfully retain their cultural identity for hundreds of years, I am pretty sure, they will repel this cultural shock.
Agreed with Malik Siraj. Every one should protest and resisit. The decision by Nawab Raeesani does not make sense. Lagta hai hamara wazeer-e-alaa pagal hogia hai.
I Agree with Asa and encourage to use Word Patriot to Baloch, because
Natioanlist could only be Punjabis and Mohajirs where ever they go, try to impose their langugage and culture and bring more of their homeboys.
On the decesion of bringing arabic in school instead of local language i only say that present cheif Minister is not representing Baloch people he is there to add more collection of Hummers in his garage, he is happy with that i guess.
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Absolutely, this is a form of extremism, treachery, tyranny and leads to a genocidal tendency to impose alien alngauges, cultures, habits and norms on people who have their own distinct and valued heritage. Such a vitriolic, venomous and vile acts of ethnic cleansing and genocide also continue to be perpetrated, in a beautiful land of beautiful people, my motherland, my fatherland, Sindh. Viciously and savagely, arrogantly and mindlessly, since the formation of this illegal state, Pakistan, in 1947, the illitirate and ignorant Pakistani-Punjabi rulers of this failed state, world’s most corrupt state, illegitimate state, rogue state, inhuman and terrorist state known as Pakistan, have been trying their best to completely wipe out Sindhis as a race and make their language, values, culture, norms extinct. This is a fact because Punjabis do not have any civilisation or values – even their language has been stealthily borrowed from the Seraikis – so to impose their hegemony and satisfy their ugly ego they go around polluting and contaminating the other age-old cultures and civilisations. But, not anymore! Sindhis, Balochs, Pashtuuns, Seraikis are alive and well! They have woken up from their deep hibernation and are out there to snatch their own destiny and grab it tight in their own hands. Long Live Sindh! Long Live Balochistan!
Good idea Raeesani has come with. In my opinion if Arabic was imposed in 1947 by now we might had an advanced united states of Pakistan. Nevertheless, many rather had their children learned Baluchi, meanwhile Arabic is a good replacement for Urdu. Urdu is an alien language imposed on Baluchistanis which many regard as a curse on the nation.
raeesani has gone completely mad i’m sure now. one of the best editorials i read in a long time. thanQ
Well…if they want us to learn it in place of urdu,then one can think about it…teaching children 3 languages at school is just absurd..why don’t they make IT compulsory ,or some other technical education that’ll add up to their skills? just unnecessary..
It`s a strategy to convert Baluch young`s mind to be
foot soldiers – Talibans – of those who send their children to learn English both in Pakistan and in foreign countries. This is a way to keep Baluchs and Pashtuns in
stone age and a fail trial to exploite the wealth of
Baluchistan and Afghanistan.
One of the principal causes of the appalling state of Balochistan now is due to this senseless policy. It is not just the military campaigns, prisons, torture and physical elimination of dissident thinkers that alienate one nation from another but also the policy of stopping a nation to use its language.
The colonizing establishments are not dim. They work systematically and have long term plans. Imposing an alien language to another nation has long term irretrievable affects. The subjugated nation social, economic, cultural, legal and political aspects will be dominated by this strange language. For the very reason that it is an imported language you are in less advantageous position to defend your rights or compete on equal basis with someone whose native language is the one that is imposed on to you. Let us imagine for the sake of argument a situation where Pakistani and Iranian authorities that currently control Balochistan are forced to speak only Balochi. Very soon they will lose that false sense of prestige that is given to their languages because they are the state languages. The shallow make up of being superior would very soon evaporate and Baloch people from all walks of life could approach them much easier and reveal the fact that they are not needed.
Mother tongue is a volunteer pursuit. Imposing a foreign language is an act of coercion from an external body. Compulsion as compare to voluntary pursuit involves extra costs. In a state of reasonable sanity, human rationality dictates the selection of cheaper and more efficient option. But these artificial states are not a product of human rationality.
The early stage of acquisition of mother tongue is at home from our mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers and the rest of our immediate families. It is then compensated by the community in which we live. The cost of acquisition of mother tongue, as we can see, is of no consequence. Compare cots of this with the costs of imposing a totally alien language such as Urdu. Think of the costs involved since its illegal imposition soon after occupation of Balochistan. Moreover, think of the state of Balochistan and Balochi language if it had not been imposed.
Can there be any benefits from learning any other language apart from one’s native languages. The answer is yes but the issue that we have been exploring here so far is not the same. If anything as colonial languages, their impositions have been disastrous to Baloch native languages (Balochi and Brahui).
Every language has the merit of learning but no languages can substitute the mother language. This is one of the most basic rights of every person. Taking that right is a violation of human rights. But the states of Pakistan and Iran are not created on the basis of human rights. That is why we have to fight for our very basic rights. These states will never voluntarily allow the introduction of our native languages in our schools. That is why they must be forced to do so.
As there is some degree of compulsion in learning other languages then a rational person would invest in a language which will further both the short and long term interest of his or her nation. The language besides one’s mother language that presently enhances a nation progress and future prospects is the English language. So why do they insist for Urdo and Arabic languages? Two completely alien languages cause much long term harm than benefit even if we forget the wastage of the scarce resources that Bbalochistan so badly need. The question is who has come up with such absurd suggestion? Be in no much doubt, it is the Pakistani establishment. The interests of Pakistani and Iranian establishments are in stark contrast to that of Baloch interests. So this is not one night dream of one individual but a thinking trend of an establishment.
A nation with no language is a handicap nation just like an individual with no command of a language. Your progress will be hindered drastically in every respect imaginable if you are unable to communicate in one language. You cannot be as vocal as otherwise i.e. demanding your rights, expressing your interests and thoughts. The baloch nation or nations in similar situation are analogous to someone who is not Chinese going to China. In the first instance he or she is totally lost. The very daily routine of life will almost be unbearable since you cannot communicate with people. You simply cannot complete with native Chinese due to your inability to speak their language. For this reason substitution of any other language with the native language will undermine the development of that nation very significantly.
Having proper command of native language carries with it national confidence. It makes people to articulate their wishes, desires and demands. A Baloch person can find it less taxing and less intimidating to challenge a corrupt authority in his or her mother tongue. Language is a vehicle by means of which all human endeavours, art, music, science, philosophy and the rest of it is carried through from generation to generation. No nation has the same experience and denying one nation to carry its experience to its children is unpardonable crime. Those in authority either have vested interest in denying a nation its basic rights or simply are so incompetent to realize the adverse affects of their policy.
For all Baloch it should be an object of immediate campaign. Investment and introduction of native languages of Balochistan in schools, colleges and universities should be one of their most urgent demand. Authorities in power will not allow Baloch to be taught their languages unless students, teachers, scholars, journalists and people from all walks of life get together and protest for this very basic demand. Baloch must give priority to their interest rather than the interests of Teheran and Islamabad. Baloch interest in this regard is to work systematically on their native languages and introduce them in all educational levels and to use English language as their second language to communicate to the rest of the world including their neighbours. Other languages, including Farsi and Urdu, should remain optional subject to availability of resources.
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