ISLAMABAD: State Minister for Law and Justice, Shahadat Awan, on Monday announced that the Pakistani government was taking concrete steps to promote Urdu as the medium of instruction in various government departments.
The move aims to reinforce the country’s national language and cultural identity.
During Senate proceedings, responding to a motion by Senator Mushtaq Ahmed, Awan reiterated the statement made by Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Pakistan’s founding father, that Urdu would be the official language of the country.
Awan emphasized that without a single state language, no nation could remain tied together and function effectively.
To this end, the National Language Promotion Department (National Language Authority) has already been established to promote Urdu language.
It has published translations of over 800 books and trained 45,000 officers to play their role in the promotion of Urdu.
Moreover, instructions given in signboards in important government departments have already been in Urdu language.
Earlier, the mover of the motion, Senator Mushtaq Ahmed emphasized the importance of promoting Urdu language in offices and other areas, suggesting that product ingredients should also be published in Urdu and that the Central Superior Services (CSS) examinations should be conducted in Urdu language.
