The NWFP has always been in limelight, but for wrong reasons. From the British raj’s Afghan wars in eighteenth century to Russian invasion in 1979 and American ouster of Taliban from Kabul in 2002, NWFP had been pivotal to the imperialistic designs, as it provides road access to Afghanistan. Later, the emergence of local Taliban and militancy, itself a product of 30 years long Afghan war, put the Frontier on the map of world, as the bastion of terrorism.
The media stereotyping put the beautiful aspects of its culture, history and people on the backburner and nowadays world knows the people of the Frontier as mere suicide bombers and terrorists. However, there are many a remarkable traits and cultural aspects, which only the Frontier could claim and linguistic diversity of the province is one of such traits.
There are around 69 languages are spoken in Pakistan, 26 out of these spoken in NWFP, and 12 languages in Chitral district alone. According to Frontier Language Institute (FLI) Bateri (20,000), Chillaso (2,000), Gowro (200) and Kohistani (200,000) are spoken in Indus Kohistan.
Chitral district, according to renowned Norwegian linguistic Georg Morgenstierne, was the area with the highest linguistic diversity in the world. The languages give the district a unique flavor of socio-cultural richness and ethno-linguistic diversity. Dameli (2,000), Gawar-Bati (200), Kalasha (3,000), Khowar (200,000), Palula (2,000), Wakhi (2,000), Yidgha (2,000) and Kam-Kataviri (2,000) are the languages spoken in district.
Kalasha is the mother tongue of the famed and mysterious race of Kalasha living in the valleys of Rambur, Bomboret and Berir, while Kam-Kataviri is of the Nuristani people. Nuristanis are the people believed to be subject of a Kipling story “The Man Who Would Be King” which was adapted as motion picture starring Sean Connery in 1975. Unlike Kalasha who are known as the black Kafirs (infidels) due to the black outfit they wear; Nuristanis are known as Red Kafirs due to the red color of their skin.
While, Domakki (200) Hunza, Shina (200,000) Gilgit, Balti (200,000) Baltistan, Burushaski (20,000) Hunza, Nagar and Yasin, Kashmiri, Kundal Shahi and Pahari-Potwari are spoken in Northern Areas and Azad Kashmir.
Gwari (20,000) is spoken in Swat and Upper Dir, while Torwali (20,000) and Ushojo (200) are spoken in Swat, while Kalkoti (2,000) is spoken in Dir Kohistan and Ormuri (2,000) is spoken in South Waziristan.
Pashto and Gojari are spoken throughout the region and Hindko is spoken in Peshawar, Kohat and Kashmir. However, as most of these languages are spoken by small communities, therefore, qualify for categories of languages near extinction and threatened languages and it is need of the hour to preserve this marvelous part of our ethno-linguistic heritage.
* Number within brackets shows number of speakers in excess of the number
I dont know why these pathans need to snatch more land from Pakistan now even though they have a huge country of thier own that they need to work on first. All this time we were saving ourselves fromt he enemy on the east, turns out they werent as bad as was portrayed! The pathans werent even a major faction of the Indus valley region. You give someone the shift off of your back and they pull it right off and make you naked…we opened our arms and welcomed the afghans and now they wanna claim our land! what if we moved to helmund and claimed it as part of pakistan?
Some of the information is not up to date. The number of speakers of Torwali exceeds 1oo,000 and similarly the number of Gawri. I would like to post one of my articles here published in Dawn this June.
June 28, 2008
Language and identity
By Zubair Torwali
An June 7-8, a two day moot on the various languages spoken in the NWFP was held in Peshawar. The conference was attended by representatives of more than 30 languages spoken in the province. The conference, though apparently a literary moot, was of great significance in the backdrop of the constitutional package recently prepared by the PPP-led coalition government that recommends Pukhtunkhwa as the new name of the NWFP.
Language has always played a crucial socio-political role in Pakistan since its inception. It has been a significant factor in promoting national cohesion or the vice versa. With the partition of the subcontinent in 1947, two things which had a great influence on determining the future course of Pakistan were the role of religion and languages in the newly-born state. The concept and ambiguity about the ideology of Pakistan has delayed the constitution-making for more than a decade while the state’s indifference to the status of languages eventually paved the way for the 1971 debacle.
These sensitive issues were not given the importance that they deserved by those responsible to run the affairs of the state whether they were military dictators or civilian rulers. The fallout of the ambiguities – linguistic and ideological – has been devastating, having empowered the ambitious military generals and their cronies, especially the clergy, to haunt the people with strange interpretations of the so-called Pakistan ideology that has always compelled the nation to move in a vicious circle, while the denial of the status of the languages led the nation to form “little boxes” of identity as the Nobel Laureate, Amartya Sen puts it. These little boxes have convinced the people to seek their identity through extreme behaviour, religious or nationalist. Instances speak loud in the NWFP and Balochistan.
Now as the cherished desire of the Pukhtuns, the majority linguistic group in the province, has been endorsed by the constitutional package, the deliberations of more than 30 languages’ representatives in Peshawar should be given equally closer attention. The resolutions adopted at the summit strongly voice the smaller communities’ identity concerns.
These communities, in fact, are seeking an assurance by the state that it would preserve, promote and recognise the languages they speak. The proposed name of Pukhtunkhwa represents the identity of Pushto-speaking population of the province which some participants thought was being accepted at the expense of all others. Some of them even proposed Islamkhawa as an alternate name for the NWFP. The insistence on a name that only exhibits the ethnic aspirations of the majority was seen a biased approach at the Peshawar conference.
The learned Pukhtuns often remind the small language groups of the ‘hard facts’ and term their demands as unsubstantiated; they make them realise that since Pukhtuns were in greater numbers in the NWFP, their right to name (rename) the province should be accepted.
All the censuses in Pakistan have never provided a data form for the other communities living in the NWFP. There have never been separate columns in the census form for these communities and hence all of them have been declared Pukhtuns or Afghans; and these two terms usually carry the same meanings. If a land is to be named after the majority inhabiting it then is it not just to rename Pakistan as Punjabistan because Punjabis claim more than 60% of the total population?
It would be better to give a brief account of the aforesaid 30 plus languages spoken in NWFP.
It is often complained that the Pukhtun nationalists tend to deny the ethnic diversity in the NWFP. The smaller communities living in this province have usually no say in the affairs of the province, hence are neglected. In Pakistan it is not only limited to the smaller communities. Even the majority communities are also in the same status regarding their ethnic identity. The largest language of Pakistan, Punjabi, has no state status. Similar is the case of Pushto and Balochi. Sindhi’s case is different and is also the medium of instruction at primary level in Sindh.
Late Sibte Hasan has said: “In every language there is mom’s lull hence every language is a language of love.” Keeping in mind this natural phenomenon it is imperative that we should give due respect to every language. To hate any language means hating knowledge. If I hate Urdu I will be deprived of Ghalib, Iqbal, Faiz and the rich literature and wisdom Urdu has; if I hate Pashto it will mean being deprived of the mystic Rehman, the lyricist Hamza and Leyvane Ghani.
In Pakistan it is believed by the establishment that one language for the whole nation builds national cohesion. In fact it is a baseless approach. The fact is contrary to that. Promotion of a single language, at the cost of others, inevitably leads to creating the little boxes that promote both hatred and violence. The state must recognise the five regional languages as national along with measures to preserve and promote the rest. The best way to do so is, at least, to provide the basic education to natives in their mother tongues with effective measures to promote literature in these languages.
We have the example of our South Asian neighbour, Nepal, which has identified 59 different ethnic groups as aadibasi/janajati (indigenous peoples/nationalities). Almost all of them have their own mother tongue which they consider to be an important element of their ethnic identity as well as a means for enhancing their development. This perception is a motivating factor for them to work for the preservation and promotion of their language.
News
Tuesday, September 02, 2008
Govt decides to rename NWFP as Pakhtunkhawa
LAHORE: The federal government has decided to rename the NWFP as Pakhtunkhawa, Samaa TV reported. The channel said the decision was made in a meeting between an Awami National Party delegation and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Monday. It said that ANP chief Asfandyar Wali assured Gilani that his party would support Asif Zardari in the presidential election. daily times monitor
Courtesy Daily Times
The choice for changing the name lies only with the people of NWFP. This is their choice and people of other provinces should simply be happy with the choice they make. Pashtuns have a rich and colorful culture and heritage of which most are very proud of. Renaming to Pakhtunkhwa i believe is justified not only because of this pride but also because some Pashtuns especially in waziristan feel discontent due to NWFP being given a strategic name and all other provinces having regional names according to the traditions and names of the indegenious people in the province (eg sindh sindhi). Pakhtunkhwa or Pashtunistan should be the new name of NWFP. Hope ANP changes the name soon according to the wishes of the people. Afghan Pashtuns also find this a good opportunity to take a few potshots at our motherland.
Long live Pashtuns and long live Pakistan
the Author should have look on data. In nwfp pasthun are in majority, he should mention the population of pashtun. SEraiki is third biggest language of the area got no place in discussion.
I suggest you, only recomended data should be forwarded.
cheeerrrrrrr
I hope the writer should rectify the data. According to 1998 census of pakistan 74% speaks pashtu in Paktunkhwa, and by race more then 80% of population is Pashtoon. IN peshawar and kohat only in small pockets hindku is spoken.
Dear Qaisrani ,
“No mention of Seraiki in the artile?? Seraiki is widely spoken in the southern part of NWFP including Dera Ismail Khan, Tank and Laki Marwat”
Does Seraiki needs to be somehow preserved or documented, it being the second most spoken (native) language in Pakistan.
Regards
Mohammad
No mention of Seraiki in the artile?? Seraiki is widely spoken in the southern part of NWFP including Dera Ismail Khan, Tank and Laki Marwat.