Pakistan Affairs MCQs – Page 51 (Q501-510)

English holds official status alongside Urdu for federal government business in Pakistan, a continuation of its role from British colonial administration that Article 251 of the constitution allows to persist until arrangements are made for its replacement. English remains the dominant language of higher education, the judiciary, and much of the corporate and bureaucratic sphere, despite Urdu's status as the national language. This dual-language arrangement reflects the practical reality that English serves as a unifying administrative language across Pakistan's linguistically diverse population, alongside its role connecting the country to international business and diplomacy. Debates over fully replacing English with Urdu in official use have continued for decades without significant implementation.

Punjabi is the most widely spoken first language in Pakistan by number of native speakers, spoken by roughly half the country's population, primarily concentrated in Punjab province, the country's most populous region. Despite this numerical dominance, Punjabi does not hold official national language status, a role instead given to Urdu at independence to serve as a unifying symbol not tied to any single province. Punjabi has a rich literary and Sufi poetic tradition, including celebrated poets like Bulleh Shah and Waris Shah, whose works remain widely read and performed today. The language has several regional dialects, including Saraiki, sometimes classified as a separate language, spoken in southern Punjab.

Sindhi is the language predominantly spoken in Sindh province, serving as both a major spoken language and a rich literary tradition dating back centuries, with deep roots in Sufi poetry, most notably the works of Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai. Sindhi holds official provincial status and is taught as a compulsory subject in Sindh's schools, reflecting the province's strong linguistic and cultural identity. The language uses a distinct script derived from Arabic, adapted with additional letters to capture Sindhi's unique phonetic sounds. Sindhi-speaking communities are also found across the border in India, particularly among Hindu Sindhis who migrated during the 1947 partition.

Pashto is the language predominantly spoken in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, serving as the primary language of the province's majority Pashtun population, alongside significant Pashto-speaking communities in northern Balochistan and parts of Karachi. The language has a rich oral and written literary tradition, including the works of Khushal Khan Khattak, often called the father of Pashto poetry, and the Sufi poet Rahman Baba. Pashto is also widely spoken across the border in Afghanistan, where it holds status as one of that country's two official languages alongside Dari. Pashto uses a modified Arabic script and has several distinct regional dialects across its speaking areas in both Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Burushaski, a language spoken in Hunza, is notable because it is considered a language isolate unrelated to major language families, meaning linguists have been unable to conclusively link it to any other known language group, including the Indo-European, Sino-Tibetan or Dravidian families. Spoken primarily in the Hunza, Nagar and Yasin valleys of Gilgit-Baltistan, Burushaski remains one of the linguistic curiosities of the region, drawing scholarly interest into its unique origins and structure. Its isolation reflects the historically remote and mountainous terrain of the Karakoram region, which has preserved distinct local languages and cultures over centuries. The language has no written tradition of its own historically, though efforts have been made in recent decades to develop written materials using adapted scripts.

Allama Iqbal's famous poem 'Shikwa' (Complaint) takes the form of a complaint addressed to Allah, expressing the poet's anguish over the declining fortunes of Muslims worldwide despite their historical devotion and sacrifices for the faith. Written in Urdu and first presented in 1909, the poem caused considerable controversy among some religious circles for its bold, questioning tone toward the divine. Iqbal later wrote a companion piece, 'Jawab-e-Shikwa' (Response to the Complaint), presenting Allah's response and calling on Muslims to reform themselves rather than blame external circumstances. Together, the two poems remain among Iqbal's most celebrated and frequently recited works, reflecting his broader philosophy of Muslim self-renewal and spiritual awakening.

Allama Iqbal wrote a companion poem responding to 'Shikwa', titled 'Jawab-e-Shikwa' (Response to the Complaint), presenting Allah's reply to the earlier poem's questioning tone about the declining state of the Muslim world. Written in 1913, a few years after the original 'Shikwa', the poem calls on Muslims to look inward and reform their own conduct rather than attribute their difficulties solely to external forces. Together, the two poems form one of the most celebrated pairs in Urdu poetry, widely recited at religious and cultural gatherings across Pakistan and beyond. Both works reflect Iqbal's broader philosophical themes of self-awakening (khudi) and the revival of Muslim civilisation, central to much of his wider poetic output.

Allama Iqbal received a knighthood from the British Crown in 1922, becoming Sir Muhammad Iqbal in recognition of his significant contributions to poetry and philosophy within British India. Despite accepting this British honour, Iqbal remained a strong advocate for Muslim political and cultural revival, later delivering his famous 1930 Allahabad Address proposing a separate Muslim state in the subcontinent's northwest. His acceptance of the knighthood reflects the complex relationship many educated Indians of the era had with British colonial institutions, simultaneously engaging with and challenging imperial rule. Iqbal is remembered today primarily for his poetic and philosophical legacy rather than his colonial-era honours, celebrated in Pakistan as the national poet and an ideological forerunner of the Pakistan Movement.

Allama Iqbal passed away in 1938, on 21 April, in Lahore, just nine years before the creation of Pakistan, the state whose ideological foundations his 1930 Allahabad Address had helped inspire. He is buried near the Badshahi Mosque in Lahore, at a mausoleum called Mazar-e-Iqbal, which remains a significant site of pilgrimage and commemoration. His death came after years of declining health, though he continued writing prolifically until his final years, producing major works including 'Bal-e-Jibril' and 'Zarb-e-Kalim'. His birthday, 9 November, is observed annually in Pakistan as Iqbal Day, honouring his lasting contributions to Urdu and Persian literature and Muslim political thought.

Allama Iqbal's mausoleum in Lahore stands next to the Badshahi Mosque, one of the largest and most historically significant mosques in the world, built in 1673 during the reign of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. This location places Iqbal's resting place within one of Lahore's most iconic historical complexes, alongside the adjacent Lahore Fort, both recognised as UNESCO World Heritage sites. The mausoleum, known as Mazar-e-Iqbal, was completed years after his 1938 death and remains a significant site for commemorations, particularly around Iqbal Day on 9 November. Its proximity to the Badshahi Mosque reflects the deep reverence accorded to Iqbal as Pakistan's national poet and an ideological forerunner of the Pakistan Movement.