People, languages, culture and minorities

Pakistan Affairs · Society and national issues. The idea in plain words, the rules to remember, the mistake to avoid and a worked example, written and checked by Mega Lecture.

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The idea

Pakistan is a country of many languages and regions held together by a shared national identity. Urdu is the national language and the common link, but it is the mother tongue of only a small share of the people. Punjabi has the most native speakers, followed by Pashto and Sindhi; Saraiki, Balochi and Brahui are also widely spoken. Each language has its own classical literature.

Most Pakistanis are Muslims. Hindus and Christians are the largest religious minorities, and the white band of the national flag stands for minorities. The Constitution protects them through Article 20 (freedom of religion), reserved seats in the assemblies and Article 25, which guarantees equality and forbids discrimination on the basis of sex.

Rules to remember

Article 20: freedom to profess, practise and propagate religion. Article 25: equality of citizens; no discrimination on the basis of sex.
Article 34: full participation of women in national life. Article 36: protection of minorities. Both are Principles of Policy.
Seats are reserved for women and for non-Muslims in the National Assembly and the provincial assemblies.
Brahui, a Dravidian language, is spoken mainly in Balochistan.
Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai: Shah Jo Risalo (Sindhi). Waris Shah: Heer (Punjabi). Rahman Baba and Khushal Khan Khattak: Pashto poets.
Mohenjo-daro is in Sindh; Harappa is in Punjab; Taxila is near Rawalpindi.
Jogendra Nath Mandal was the first Law Minister; A. R. Cornelius was Chief Justice of Pakistan from 1960 to 1968. Karachi is the largest city.

Common mistake

Students name Urdu as the language with the most native speakers because it is the national language. The national language and the largest mother tongue are different things: Punjabi has the most native speakers.

Worked example

A woman is refused a government post only because she is a woman. Which article would she rely on, Article 20, Article 25 or Article 34, and why not the others?

Article 20 deals with freedom of religion, so it does not apply.
Article 34 concerns women but is a Principle of Policy, which courts do not enforce.
Article 25 is a Fundamental Right: all citizens are equal before law and there shall be no discrimination on the basis of sex.

Answer: Article 25, because it is an enforceable Fundamental Right against discrimination on the basis of sex.

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