When Saudi Arabia, our religious leaders and economic patrons, realized the importance of English in the fields of science, technology, and international affairs, a demand development for teachers of English. Since Saudi Arabia did not have the teachers of English, they asked the Pakistan government to supply these teachers.
Higher authorities order teachers to teach Urdu, while they themselves are still slaves of the English language. English is still the language of business and civil and military administration. In all the competitive examinations, like CSP and PCS, the knowledge of English Is judged and the people having a good knowledge of English are always preferred.
The English language brought in its womb the seeds of its own destruction. Indo-Pakistan leaders educated in foreign universities learnt about national awakening, democracy and revolution. The weapons brought from the armory of the English language were successfully employed against them. Our mental horizon was broadened and we cultivated an international outlook. This was probably the greatest benefit we could derive from the study of English language.
Moreover, it is so rich in literature and vocabulary and so flexible in nature that every body will feel proud of possessing an adequate knowledge of this language. The rich heritage of literature as .is to the credit of English can hardly be surpassed by that of any other language of the world. The knowledge of this language comes handy in digging out the vast treasures of literature, western culture and civilization. We may hate the Britishers for their atrocities on the Muslims during their rule over Indo-Pak subcontinent but we have Shakespeare for his literary genius and for his love of humanity as revealed in his writings.
English has been facing opposition, and bitter and unbridled criticism since the time of its introduction in the administrative as’ well as academic field. This antagonism was further intensified when the nationalist movement gathered momentum. Given below is an overview of the arguments which are put forward in favour of a switchover to Urdu as the national language of government, and as a medium of instruction in schools and colleges.
One of the most forceful arguments for the adoption of Urdu the official national language of Pakistan, and for the consequent rejection of English, is that English is a ‘foreign’ rather than ‘second’ language in Pakistan, used by scarcely one percent of the population. To establish it as the official national language would, lead to the creation of a small but powerful elite, and exclude from the process of government about 99 percent of the people.
This is quite apart from the disadvantages that such people would suffer in other fields, most notably, in education. Furthermore, as English is the language which was imposed throughout the Indian sub-continent by a colonial power, it is seen as an insult to national dignity to retain its use as a national official language.
If democracy is the eventual aim for the political process in Pakistan, teen politicians must be able to put their ideas across the masses. This they can only do in a language which is understood by everybody, and this language, it is argued, should be Urdu.
Although the Quaid-i-Azam and Mahatma Gandhi argued their case of independence, and in the case of the former, for the setting of Pakistan as a sovereign state, in English they both argued that the official languages of Pakistan and India should be Urdu and Hindi respectively. Gandhi described such a move as a “necessary corollary independence”. While he admitted that the knowledge of English necessary for a few, he added that “English has usurped the rest place in our hearts and dethroned our mother tongue which is unnatural. It is too humiliating a thought to be bearable”.
Those who would like to see Urdu replace English in its position argue that a country which has a solid English-speaking background has an advantage over other countries on the international socio-political scene. In order to demonstrate the fallacy of such an argument, the examples of countries such as Japan. Russia and Saudi Arabia are cited. None of these countries has an English-speaking background, and yet they all wield a powerful influence in world affairs. A country is more important, it is argued, for its industrial progress, its strategic position, its unity, its strength and so on.
In short, knowledge of English is not necessarily .The contention that he knowledge of English helps the foreign exchange position by enabling Pakistani workers to get jobs in the Middle East is similarly disposed of. Most of the jobs available r the Middle East have been for skilled and unskilled workers, whereas the English-using professional classes on the other hand, tend to go further field and show less inclination to return to their native coun