Languages of Pakistan

Urdu is the official language of Pakistan. It is the first language of only a small percentage of the population, but it cuts across linguistic and provincial boundaries as the national language. More than 75 percent of Pakistanis can speak and understand Urdu. In urban areas about 95 percent of the people communicate in Urdu. Urdu replaced English as the official language in 1978.

Most Pakistanis speak at least two languages. A large segment of the population is trilingual, speaking English, Urdu, and an ethnic-based regional language. Punjabi, Pashto, Sindhi, Baluchi, and Brahui are the major regional languages. These languages have many regional dialects, including Saraiki, a widely spoken dialect of Punjabi. Regional languages are recognized as a potent force because language and ethnic identity are closely interrelated; even the national census categorizes groups according to their language, rather than their ethnicity. However, there is growing awareness among Pakistanis that for social mobility, national cohesion, and individual success, it is imperative to be fluent in Urdu and proficient in English.

For all practical purposes, however, English is the de facto official language. Pakistan’s legal system is based on British common law, and judicial and government documents are mostly written in English. Pakistanis of all social strata strive to learn English, which has a certain elite status. Although the quality of instruction in English has declined, English continues to be the language of the educated and those who want to move ahead in life.

Most of the languages of Pakistan are part of the family of Indo-European languages and span the Indo-Iranian range of that family with the Indo-Aryan languages predominant in the east and the Iranian languages the most significant in the west as well as Dardic languages in the north and northwest. English can mainly be heard with a few other languages. Officially Pakistan has 80 speaking tonguers in the country excluding Urdu and English.

Fact & Figures about Languages of Pakistan:

• Punjabi 48%
• Sindhi 12%
• Siraiki (a Punjabi variant)10%
• Pashto 8%
• Urdu (official) 8%
• Balochi 3%
• Hindko 2%
• Brahui 1%
• English (official; lingua franca of Pakistani elite and most government ministries), Burushaski and other 8%.

Punjabi

Punjabi is spoken as a first language by ~44% of Pakistanis, mostly in Punjab as well as by a large number of people in Karachi. It is an important language since Punjabi is spoken by about half of Pakistanis. However, Punjabi does not have any official status in Pakistan. The exact numbers of Punjabi speakers in Pakistan is hard to find since there are many dialects/languages, such as Seraiki, which some regard as part of Punjabi and others regard as separate language. Punjabi is spoken by almost 60% of the population in Pakistan. The standard Punjabi dialects is from Lahore, Sialkot, Gujranwala and Sheikhupura districts of the Pakistani Punjab which was used by Waris Shah (1722-1798) in his famous book "Heer" and is also now days langueage of Punjabi literature, film and music; such as Lollywood. Other dialects are Multani or Siraiki in West and South, Pothowari in North, Dogri in the Kashmir areas and Shahpuri in Sargodha area.

Urdu

Urdu is the national and official language, the lingua franca of the people. The language belongs to the Indo-Aryan subgroup of the Indo-European family. It is widely used, both formally and informally, for personal letters as well as public literature, in the literary sphere and in the popular media. It is a required subject of study in all primary and secondary schools. It is the first language of most Muhajirs. Urdu is Pakistan's national language and has been promoted as a token of national unity, though less than 8% of Pakistanis speak it as their first language but it is spoken fluently as a second language by all literate Pakistanis.

English

English is the country's other official language, widely used within the government, by the civil service and the officer ranks of the military. Pakistan's Constitution and laws are written in both English and Urdu. Many schools, and nearly all colleges and universities, use English as the medium of instruction. More than 80 percent of people in Pakistan have a basic understanding of English, as a result of the colonial rule of the United Kingdom. Mainly second-language speakers within the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.

Sindhi

Sindhi is spoken as a first language by 14% of Pakistanis, in Sindh and parts of Balochistan. Sindhi has very rich literature and is used in schools. Sindhi languge contains Arabic words and is affected by Arabic language to a great extent. The reason being Arab ruled Sindh for more than 150 years. Muhammad bin Qasim entered Sindh and conquered it in 712 AD. He remained here for three years and set up Arabic rule in the area.

Siraiki

Seraiki is related to Punjabi and Sindhi. Spoken as a first language by 11% of Pakistanis, mostly in southern districts of Punjab (see Seraikis). All most 10% of the population of Pakistan speak Siraiki language.

Pashto

Pashto is spoken as a first language by 15% of Pakistanis, mostly in the North-West Frontier Province, Federally Administered Tribal Areas and in Balochistan as well as by immigrants to the eastern provinces who are often not counted due to census irregularities. Additionally, Afghan refugees are often outside the census count, but appear to be largely Pashto speakers from Afghanistan. Pashto speakers are almost 15.42% of Pakistan's population and more than 50% in Afghanistan. Pashto has no written literary traditions although it has a rich oral tradition.

Balochi

Balochi is spoken as a first language by 4% of Pakistanis, mostly in Balochistan, Sindh and southern Punjab. Baluchi language is spoken by almost 3% of the Pakistani population and is very close to the Persian language itself.

Gujarati

Gujarati is spoken by 100,000 Pakistani citizens who originate from Gujarat in India and reside in Sindh. All Parsi (5,000), many Ismaili Muslims, and many Hindus (10,000 to 100,000) speak Gujarati. Many Parsi and Ismaili Muslims are literate in Gujarati.

Other languages:

Numerous other languages are spoken by relatively small numbers of people, especially in some of the more remote and isolated places in, for example, the Northern Areas of Pakistan. These inlude:

Burshaski - Spoken in Hunza

Burushaski is a language isolate spoken by some 87,000 (as of 2000) Burusho people in the Hunza, Nagar, Yasin, and parts of the Gilgit valleys in northern Pakistan and Kashmir. Other names for the language are Kanjut (Kunjoot), Werchikwār, Boorishki, Brushas (Brushias).

Shina - spoken in Baltistan

Shina (also known as Tshina) is a Dardic language and is spoken by majority of people in Northern Areas of Pakistan. The Valleys include Astore, Chilas, Dareil, Tangeer, Gilgit, Ghizer, and few parts of Baltistan, and Kohistan. It is also spoken in Kargil and Ladakh valleys of India. There are 321,000 speakers.

Khowar - Spoken is Chitral

Khowar is classified as a Dardic language. It is spoken by 400,000 people in Chitral in Northwest Pakistan, in Yasin Valley and Gupis in neighboring Gilgit, and in parts of Upper Swat. It is spoken as a second language in the rest of Gilgit and Hunza. There are believed to be a small number of Khowar speakers in Afghanistan, China, India, Tajikistan and Istanbul.

Kalash - spoken the Kalash Valley

Kalash is spoken by the Kalash people who reside in the remote valleys of Bumboret, Birir and Rumbur, which are west of Ayun, which is ten miles down the river from Chitral Town, high in the Hindu Kush mountains in the Northwest Frontier Province of Pakistan. There are an estimated 6,000 speakers of Kalash.