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{{Short description|Movement for recognition of Punjabi in Pakistan}}
{{About|the movement in Pakistan|the 1947–1966 movement demanding a Punjabi-speaking state in India|Punjabi Suba movement}}
{{Infobox civil conflict
| title = Punjabi Language Movement
| subtitle =
| partof =
| image = Punjabi prachar demand.jpg
| caption = Public demonstration in [[Lahore]]
| date =
| place = [[Punjab, Pakistan]]
| coordinates =
| causes = *Marginalisation of [[Punjabi language|Punjabi]]
*[[linguistic imperialism|Linguistic imposition]] of [[Urdu]]
| methods = *[[Political demonstration]]
| status =
| result =
| side1 = *Punjabi Parchar
*World Punjabi Congress
*Punjabi Khoj Garh
*Punjabi Lok Sujag
| side2 = * {{flagdeco|Pakistan}} [[Government of Pakistan]]
* {{flag icon|Punjab}} [[Government of Punjab, Pakistan|Government of Punjab]]
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{{Punjabis}}
The '''Punjabi Language Movement''' ({{langx|pnb|{{nq|پنجابی زبان تحریک}}|Pañjābī zabān tahrīk}}, {{IPA|pa|pəɲˈd͡ʒaːbːi zəˈbaːn təɦˈɾik|pron}}; abbreviated as '''PLM''') is a [[social movement|socio-political movement]] in [[Punjab, Pakistan]], advocating the recognition of the [[Punjabi language]], as well as [[Punjabi culture|culture]] and [[Punjabi literature|literature]], in [[Pakistan]] to allow its use in government affairs, education, and media.<ref name="Report 2011">{{cite web | author=Staff Report | title=Punjab wants its mother tongue back | website=Pakistan Today | date=21 February 2011 | url=http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2011/02/21/city/lahore/punjab-wants-its-mother-tongue-back/ | accessdate=20 April 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Brown|first1=Michael Edward|title=Fighting Words: Language Policy and Ethnic Relations in Asia|year=2003|publisher=MIT Press |isbn=9780262523332|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fcoDezu1ABoC&q=Punjabi+Language+Movement+pakistan&pg=PA68}}</ref><ref name="Kamal 2015">{{cite web | last=Kamal | first=Neel | title=A march for Punjabi revival in Pak's Punjab | website=The Times of India | date=14 September 2015 | url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chandigarh/A-march-for-Punjabi-revival-in-Paks-Punjab/articleshow/48951621.cms | accessdate=20 April 2016}}</ref><ref name="Soofi 2015">{{cite web | last=Soofi | first=Mushtaq | title=Punjab Notes: Mother language, people and politicians | website=DAWN.COM | date=27 February 2015 | url=http://www.dawn.com/news/1166216 | accessdate=20 April 2016}}</ref><ref>[http://www.punjabilanguagemovement.org// Punjabi Language Movement]</ref>

Today, the [[Punjabi people]] constitute the largest ethnic group in the country, though [[Urdu]] was given status as the sole national language of the country, following [[Pakistan Movement|independence]].<ref name="Service 2016">{{cite web | last=Service | first=Tribune News | title=Thousands to march for Punjabi in Lahore | website=tribuneindia.com | date=19 February 2016 | url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/punjab/thousands-to-march-for-punjabi-in-lahore/198233.html | accessdate=20 April 2016}}</ref> Unlike [[Punjab, India|Indian Punjab]], where reading and writing the Punjabi language is compulsory at every level from 2008,<ref>{{cite web | title=Punjab Cabinet Okays to amend Punjabi official language Act | website=Zee News | date=3 September 2008 | url=http://zeenews.india.com/home/punjab-cabinet-okays-to-amend-punjabi-official-language-act_466443.html | language=la | accessdate=20 April 2016}}</ref> alongside a special [[Punjabi University]] at [[Patiala]], Punjabi does not have any kind of official status in Pakistan and is merely recognised as a nominal "provincial language" in Pakistani Punjab.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://nation.com.pk/22-Aug-2019/punjabi-as-medium-of-instruction|title=Punjabi as medium of instruction|date=2019-08-21|website=The Nation|language=en|access-date=2019-10-07}}</ref> The PLM's ideologies are based on [[Punjabi nationalism]].

== History ==
In 1908, Mian Shafi, a Muslim elite, opposed Prof. Mukherjee's comment that Punjabi should become the provincial language of the British province of Punjab, refuting that the language of Muslims was Urdu. Jinnah opposed [[Motilal Nehru|Motilal Nehru's]] 1928 proposal that every province should have its own language alongside the Hindustani language as the national language, with Jinnah stating that Urdu was the language of Muslims in a communication to [[Jawaharlal Nehru]]. Liaqat Ali Khan opposed a 1937 proposal by Gandhi to deliver free education to children in their mother tongue.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Aslam |first=Irfan |date=21 February 2023 |title=Punjabis themselves are oppressing their language |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1738234/punjabis-themselves-are-oppressing-their-language |access-date=4 December 2025 |work=Dawn}}</ref>

When [[Pakistan]] was created in 1947, despite Punjabi being the majority language in [[West Pakistan]] and [[Bengali language|Bengali]] the majority in [[East Pakistan]] and [[Pakistan]] as whole, English and [[Urdu]] were chosen as the official languages. The selection of Urdu was due to its association with South Asian Muslim nationalism and because the leaders of the new nation wanted a unifying national language instead of promoting one ethnic group's language over another, due to this the [[Punjabis|Punjabi]] elites started identifying with [[Urdu]] more than Punjabi because they saw it as a unifying force on an [[Ethnoreligious group|ethnoreligious]] perspective.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ahmed |first=Ishtiaq |date=14 July 2020 |title=Why Punjabis in Pakistan Have Abandoned Punjabi |url=https://www.fairobserver.com/region/central_south_asia/ishtiaq-ahmed-pakistan-punjab-south-asian-languages-punjabi-language-world-news-16791/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230409074915/https://www.fairobserver.com/region/central_south_asia/ishtiaq-ahmed-pakistan-punjab-south-asian-languages-punjabi-language-world-news-16791/ |archive-date=9 April 2023 |access-date=9 April 2023 |website=Fair Observer}}</ref> Broadcasting in Punjabi language by [[Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation]] decreased on TV and radio after 1947. Article 251 of the [[Constitution of Pakistan]] declares that these two languages would be the only official languages at the national level, while provincial governments would be allowed to make provisions for the use of other languages.<ref>{{cite web |title=Chapter 4: "General." of Part XII: "Miscellaneous" |url=http://pakistani.org/pakistan/constitution/part12.ch4.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20140603233302/http://pakistani.org/pakistan/constitution/part12.ch4.html |archive-date=3 June 2014 |access-date=30 December 2016 |website=pakistani.org}}</ref> However, in the 1950s the constitution was amended to include the [[Bengali language]].

Punjabi is not a language of instruction for primary or secondary school students in Punjab Province (unlike Sindhi and Pashto in other provinces).<ref>{{cite web |last1=Zaidi |first1=Abbas |title=Linguistic cleansing: the sad fate of Punjabi in Pakistan |url=http://www.gowanusbooks.com/punjabi.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161029194115/http://www.gowanusbooks.com/punjabi.htm |archive-date=29 October 2016}}</ref> Pupils in secondary schools can choose the language as an elective, while Punjabi instruction or study remains rare in higher education. One notable example is the teaching of Punjabi language and literature by the [[University of the Punjab]] in Lahore which began in 1970 with the establishment of its Punjabi Department.<ref>University of the Punjab (2015), "B.A. Two-Year (Pass Course) Examinations"

*{{cite web |title=University of the Punjab – Examinations |url=http://pu.edu.pk/page/show/ba_gen_pattern.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170208022145/http://pu.edu.pk/page/show/ba_gen_pattern.html |archive-date=8 February 2017 |access-date=13 January 2017 |publisher=pu.edu.pk}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=University of the Punjab |date=2015 |title=Department of Punjabi |url=http://pu.edu.pk/home/department/32/Department-of-Punjabi |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161127220237/http://pu.edu.pk/home/department/32/Department-of-Punjabi |archive-date=27 November 2016}}</ref>

In the cultural sphere, there are many books, plays, and songs being written or produced in the Punjabi-language in Pakistan. Until the 1970s, there were a large number of Punjabi-language films being produced by the [[Lollywood]] film industry, however since then Urdu has become a much more dominant language in film production. Additionally, television channels in Punjab Province (centred on the Lahore area) are broadcast in Urdu. The preeminence of Urdu in both broadcasting and the [[Lollywood]] film industry is seen by critics as being detrimental to the health of the language.<ref>{{cite web |last=Masood |first=Tariq |date=21 February 2015 |title=The colonisation of language |url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/841584/the-colonisation-of-language/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150912044311/http://tribune.com.pk/story/841584/the-colonisation-of-language/ |archive-date=12 September 2015 |access-date=19 September 2015 |website=The Express Tribune |df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Warraich |first1=Faizan |last2=Ali |first2=Haider |date=15 September 2015 |title=Intelligentsia urges govt to promote Punjabi language |url=http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/punjab/07-Feb-2015/intelligentsia-urges-govt-to-promote-punjabi-language |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150630230024/http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/punjab/07-Feb-2015/intelligentsia-urges-govt-to-promote-punjabi-language |archive-date=30 June 2015 |access-date=15 September 2015 |website=DailyTimes}}</ref> [[Zia-ul-Haq|Zia-ul Haq]] banned three works promoting the Punjabi language.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news |last=Abbas |first=Mazhar |date=23 February 2025 |title=Punjabi, a dying language? |url=https://www.thenews.com.pk/tns/detail/1285138-punjabi-a-dying-language |access-date=4 December 2025 |work=The News}}</ref> Until the early 1990s, members of the Punjab Assembly were forbidden to address the house in Punjabi.<ref name=":2">{{Cite news |last=Ahmed |first=Ishtiaq |date=14 July 2020 |title=Why Punjabis in Pakistan Have Abandoned Punjabi |url=https://www.fairobserver.com/region/central_south_asia/ishtiaq-ahmed-pakistan-punjab-south-asian-languages-punjabi-language-world-news-16791/ |access-date=4 December 2025 |work=Fair Observer}}</ref> However, this ban was lifted by Hanif Ramay yet was re-instated shortly after.<ref name=":2" />

The use of Urdu and English as the near-exclusive languages of broadcasting, the public sector, and formal education have led some to fear that Punjabi in Pakistan is being relegated to a low-status language and that it is being denied an environment where it can flourish. Several prominent educational leaders, researchers, and social commentators have echoed the opinion that the intentional promotion of Urdu and the continued denial of any official sanction or recognition of the Punjabi language amounts to a process of "Urdu-isation" that is detrimental to the health of the Punjabi language<ref>{{cite web |title=Punjabis Without Punjabi |url=http://apnaorg.com/articles/ishtiaq8/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170525144848/http://apnaorg.com/articles/ishtiaq8/ |archive-date=25 May 2017 |access-date=13 January 2017 |publisher=apnaorg.com}}</ref><ref>"Inferiority complex declining Punjabi language: Punjab University Vice-Chancellor". PPI News Agency

*{{cite web |title=Inferiority complex declining Punjabi language: Punjab University Vice-Chancellor | Pakistan Press International |url=http://ppinewsagency.com/inferiority-complex-declining-punjabi-language-punjab-university-vice-chancellor/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161127220151/http://ppinewsagency.com/inferiority-complex-declining-punjabi-language-punjab-university-vice-chancellor/ |archive-date=27 November 2016 |access-date=13 January 2017 |publisher=ppinewsagency.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=4 May 2015 |title=Urdu-isation of Punjab – The Express Tribune |url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/880483/urdu-isation-of-punjab/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161127215535/http://tribune.com.pk/story/880483/urdu-isation-of-punjab/ |archive-date=27 November 2016 |access-date=30 December 2016 |newspaper=The Express Tribune |language=en-US}}</ref> In August 2015, the Pakistan Academy of Letters, International Writer's Council (IWC) and World Punjabi Congress (WPC) organised the ''Khawaja Farid Conference'' and demanded that a Punjabi-language university should be established in [[Lahore]] and that Punjabi language should be declared as the medium of instruction at the primary level.<ref>{{cite web |date=21 February 2011 |title=Rally for ending 150-year-old 'ban on education in Punjabi |url=http://nation.com.pk/lahore/21-Feb-2011/Rally-for-ending-150yearold-ban-on-education-in-Punjabi |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307142807/http://nation.com.pk/lahore/21-Feb-2011/Rally-for-ending-150yearold-ban-on-education-in-Punjabi |archive-date=7 March 2016 |access-date=15 September 2015 |website=The Nation}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |date=26 August 2015 |title=Sufi poets can guarantee unity |url=http://nation.com.pk/lahore/26-Aug-2015/sufi-poets-can-guarantee-unity |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151030021751/http://nation.com.pk/lahore/26-Aug-2015/sufi-poets-can-guarantee-unity |archive-date=30 October 2015 |magazine=The Nation}}</ref> In September 2015, a case was filed in [[Supreme Court of Pakistan]] against [[Government of Punjab, Pakistan]] as it did not take any step to implement the Punjabi language in the province.<ref>{{cite web |date=15 September 2015 |title=Supreme Court's Urdu verdict: No language can be imposed from above |url=http://nation.com.pk/blogs/15-Sep-2015/supreme-court-s-urdu-verdict-no-language-can-be-imposed-from-above |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150916165410/http://nation.com.pk/blogs/15-Sep-2015/supreme-court-s-urdu-verdict-no-language-can-be-imposed-from-above |archive-date=16 September 2015 |access-date=15 September 2015 |website=The Nation}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=14 September 2015 |title=Two-member SC bench refers Punjabi language case to CJP |url=http://www.brecorder.com/top-news/109-world-top-news/254518-two-member-sc-bench-refers-punjabi-language-case-to-cjp.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151021133224/http://www.brecorder.com/top-news/109-world-top-news/254518-two-member-sc-bench-refers-punjabi-language-case-to-cjp.html |archive-date=21 October 2015 |access-date=15 September 2015 |website=Business Recorder}}</ref> Additionally, several thousand Punjabis gather in [[Lahore]] every year on [[International Mother Language Day]]. Thinktanks, political organisations, cultural projects, and individuals also demand authorities at the national and provincial level to promote the use of the language in the public and official spheres.<ref>"Mind your language—The movement for the preservation of Punjabi". ''The Herald''. 2 September 2106.

*{{cite web |date=4 August 2016 |title=Mind your language—The movement for the preservation of Punjabi – People & Society – Herald |url=http://herald.dawn.com/news/1153482 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161223065731/http://herald.dawn.com/news/1153482 |archive-date=23 December 2016 |access-date=13 January 2017 |publisher=herald.dawn.com}}</ref><ref>"Punjabi in schools: Pro-Punjabi outfits in Pakistan threaten hunger strike". ''The Times of India''. 4 October 2015.

*{{cite news |title=Punjabi in schools: Pro-Punjabi outfits in Pakistan threaten hunger strike |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chandigarh/Punjabi-in-schools-Pro-Punjabi-outfits-in-Pakistan-threaten-hunger-strike/articleshow/49214265.cms |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160927231834/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chandigarh/Punjabi-in-schools-Pro-Punjabi-outfits-in-Pakistan-threaten-hunger-strike/articleshow/49214265.cms |archive-date=27 September 2016 |access-date=13 January 2017 |work=The Times of India}}</ref><ref>"Rally for Ending the 150-year-old Ban on Education in Punjabi" ''The Nation.'' 21 February 2011.

*{{cite web |date=21 February 2011 |title=Rally for ending 150-year-old 'ban on education in Punjabi |url=http://nation.com.pk/lahore/21-Feb-2011/Rally-for-ending-150yearold-ban-on-education-in-Punjabi |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307142807/http://nation.com.pk/lahore/21-Feb-2011/Rally-for-ending-150yearold-ban-on-education-in-Punjabi |archive-date=7 March 2016 |access-date=13 January 2017 |publisher=nation.com.pk}}</ref>[[File:Punjabi-speakers_by_Pakistani_District_-_2017_Census.svg|right|thumb|<div style="text-align: center">The proportion of people with Punjabi as their [[mother tongue]] in each Pakistani [[Districts of Pakistan|District]] as of the [[2017 Pakistan Census]]</div>]]Despite being the most-widely spoken language in Pakistan, the language is in decline.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Usman |first=Noah |date=31 January 2022 |title=How to Preserve the Punjabi Language |url=https://www.americanpakistan.org/blog-main-feature/punjabi |access-date=4 December 2025 |website=American Pakistan Foundation}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Haider |first=Mehtab |date=17 November 2024 |title=Punjabi tops as 'most spoken language' in Pakistan |url=https://www.geo.tv/latest/574766-punjabi-tops-as-most-spoken-language-in-pakistan |access-date=4 December 2025 |work=Geo News}}</ref><ref>Abbas, Furrakh & Chuhan, Muhammad & Ahmed, Marghoob & Kaleem, Muhammad. (2016). PUNJABI LANGUAGE IN PAKISTAN: PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE. Hamdard Islamicus: quarterly journal of the Hamdard National Foundation, Pakistan. 39. 1-12. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/341314184_PUNJABI_LANGUAGE_IN_PAKISTAN_PAST_PRESENT_AND_FUTURE</ref> The Punjabi language's decline in Pakistan has been attributed to various causes, such as lack of official recognition, lack of prestige, promotion of Urdu and English, to dispell fears of Punjabi domination by ethnic minorities, and other factors.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Piracha |first=Rehan |last2=Ali |first2=Mateen |date=1 January 2025 |title=Apnay Kaar Wich Punjabi Pardesi |url=https://voicepk.net/2024/12/apnay-kaar-wich-punjabi-pardesi/ |access-date=4 December 2025 |work=voicepk.net}}</ref><ref name=":2" /><ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite news |last=Mohta |first=Nikita |date=18 April 2025 |title=The fight to keep Punjabi alive in Pakistan |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/research/the-fight-to-keep-punjabi-alive-in-pakistan-9949120/ |access-date=4 December 2025 |work=The Indian Express}}</ref> The language has been relegated to informal communication, also as a means for crude humour, abuse, and to connect with uneducated masses.<ref name=":2" /> Parents who speak Punjabi opt to only communicate to their children in Urdu or English, with Punjabi being seen as ''paindu'' (shorthand for "backwardness" or "uneducated").<ref>{{Cite news |last=Randhawa |first=F. |date=15 October 2025 |title=How Punjab Can Reclaim Its Language And Lead A More Inclusive Pakistan |url=https://www.thefridaytimes.com/15-Oct-2025/punjab-can-reclaim-language-lead-inclusive-pakistan |access-date=4 December 2025 |work=The Friday Times}}</ref> In June 2024, the Punjab Assembly passed a resolution to allow lawmakers to communicate in Punjabi.<ref>{{Cite news |date=7 June 2024 |title=Pakistan's Punjab Assembly allows lawmakers to use of Punjabi language in house |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/pakistans-punjab-assembly-allows-lawmakers-to-use-of-punjabi-language-in-house/articleshow/110783754.cms |access-date=4 December 2025 |work=Times of India}}</ref> In October 2024, the Punjab province's assembly passed a resolution to make Punjabi an official subject across more sectors of the education system as a compulsory subject.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kamal |first=Neel |date=31 October 2024 |title=Pak Pb assembly OKs resolution to make Pbi compulsory subject |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chandigarh/pakistan-punjab-assembly-approves-punjabi-language-as-compulsory-subject/articleshow/114795207.cms |access-date=4 December 2025 |work=Times of India}}</ref> In March 2024, Maryam Nawaz announced the introduction of Punjabi as a subject in schools.<ref>{{Cite news |date=10 March 2024 |title=Punjabi to be introduced as subject in schools: Maryam |url=https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/1166476-punjabi-to-be-introduced-as-subject-in-schools-maryam |access-date=4 December 2025 |work=The News International}}</ref> In November 2025, [[Maryam Nawaz]] again pushed for the inclusion of Punjabi language education in Pakistan's educational institutions.<ref>{{Cite web |date=25 November 2025 |title=CM Maryam Nawaz Sharif Directs to Promote Punjabi ... |url=https://dgpr.punjab.gov.pk/node/65674 |access-date=4 December 2025 |website=Directorate General Public Relations, Government of Punjab, Pakistan}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=26 November 2025 |title=CM Maryam orders promotion of Punjabi language |url=https://www.brecorder.com/news/40394239 |access-date=4 December 2025 |work=Business Recorder}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=25 November 2025 |title=CM Maryam orders historic steps to promote Punjabi language |url=https://dunyanews.tv/en/Pakistan/919929-cm-maryam-orders-historic-steps-to-promote-punjabi-language |access-date=4 December 2025 |work=Dunya News}}</ref> There is currently a Punjabi language revitalisation movement in Pakistan.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Javed |first=Umair |date=16 September 2024 |title=Punjabi nationalism |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1859272/punjabi-nationalism |access-date=4 December 2025 |work=Dawn}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[Punjabi nationalism]]
*[[Punjabi Suba movement]]
*[[Punjabiyat]]
*[[Anti-Hindi agitation of 1937–40]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
*[http://www.punjabilanguagemovement.org// Punjabi Language Movement Official website]
*[https://www.facebook.com/PUNJABILANGUAGEMOVEMENT Official Facebook]
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72iAP0OjJw0 PLM on Youtube]

{{Punjab, Pakistan topics}}

[[Category:Politics of Punjab, Pakistan]]
[[Category:Punjabi language in Pakistan]]
[[Category:Organisations based in Lahore]]
[[Category:Language policy in Pakistan]]
[[Category:Linguistic rights]]
[[Category:Linguistic controversies]]
[[Category:Punjabi nationalism]]
[[Category:Language conflict in Pakistan]]

Punjabi Language Movement - Revision history

Kvora3: starting new post