Two bills seeking to elevate Pakistan’s regional languages to the status of national languages have been struck down by the National Assembly this month [July 2014]. Five of the suggested languages are spoken across Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan; the rejection of bills is a cause for concern for local proponents of the legislation.

The National Assembly Standing Committee on Law, Justice and Human Rights rejected Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) MNA Marvi Memon’s bill on July 16. Memon’s bill had recommended the substitution of Article 251 of the Constitution, which at present acknowledges only Urdu as the national language.

Instead of just Urdu, Memon’s bill had asked that Balochi, Balti, Barahvi, Punjabi, Pashto, Shina, Sindhi, Seraiki and Hindko also be included. Earlier, on July 1 [2014], the Assembly rejected Senator Haji Adeel’s proposed amendments for Article 251 of the Constitution.

The Awami National Party leader’s bill had asked to change the word ‘language’ in the heading to the plural, ‘languages’. Haji Adeel had said the article should mention the national languages of Pakistan as Urdu, Punjabi, Sindhi, Pashto, Balochi and Seraiki.

“Arrangements shall be made for their being used for official and other purposes within fifteen years from the commencement of the Act,” his bill had stated.

Balti, Pashto, Shina, Hindk are native to Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan, while Seraiki is spoken by a large number of people in the southern districts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

While both Memon and Haji Adeel’s bills differed on how many regional languages should be made national languages of Pakistan for the purpose of education and official use, there was one commonality between both efforts. Both had pushed for a more pluralistic approach for the most obvious dividing lines of ethnicity in the country.