Re: Urdu as our national langauge
Lahore's literary language maybe was Urdu, not Punjab's. Do you really think that kisaan of chuck chotaalee knows his urdu well enough to do Likhaa Parath with the Patwari of that tehseel in Urdu? But he has to. That poor guys probably does not even know what he is signing on. Same with FIR that has to be written in Urdu.
If that Khisaan is illiterate, even the text written in Punjabi won't make any sense to him. There are language issues, and there are serious illiteracy problems, and I don't think we should confuse the two.
I am pro revival of local languages, but I also know that in Pakistan when lingual and ethnic pride becomes passion and only hope for survival and identity, it gives birth to xenophobia, racism and divisions.
Punjab as a province has gained so much from being slightly more flexible and accommodating, and being open to positive external influences, and despite its population being racially diverse, all groups have managed to co-exist so peacefully because language is not a bone of contention there. People from all over Pakistan have come and settled in Punjab and made Punjab what it is today because rate of integration is higher in Punjab than anywhere else in Pakistan.
Kashmiris, Potoharis, Mirpuris, Saraikis, Sindhis, Pashtuns, Muhajirs, Baloch, Afghans, Persians, Hindko speakers; all racial groups have naturally picked up Punjabi as their first or second language by just living there and in the absence of any hard or fast rules. We know a Lahore based Muhajir family who communicate in fluent Punjabi whenever they need to.
Punjabi is a widely and dare I say, happily spoken language in Punjab, the only area it's lagging behind is by not producing enough literature. So that they need to improve. Otherwise I would always protest against any superior or victim complex being lumped with revival of Punjabi language. That's not the way to achieve things.
