In the grand tapestry of human history, language has always served as the ultimate bridge for communication and a testament to the beauty of cultural diversity. Nature divided humanity into various tribes and groups not to incite superiority or sow the seeds of hatred, but to facilitate mutual recognition and understanding. Paradoxically, the notion of “nationhood” based solely on linguistics is an unnatural and scientifically hollow theory.

A closer look reveals that dialects and accents shift within the span of a single neighbourhood or a few miles. The world-renowned playwright Bernard Shaw, during his deep observation of the English spoken in London, was astonished to find dozens of distinct dialects in the city’s suburbs, so varied that they often hindered comprehension despite being the same language.

Shaw’s research proves that language is a fluid river, changing its hues with geographical boundaries. To imprison it within the rigid chains of a specific “ethnic nationalism” is, in truth, a conspiracy against human evolution.

Regrettably, in Pakistan, linguistics has transcended the boundaries of cultural identity to give birth to the spectre of provincialism and ethnic nationalism, a monster that now stands with an open maw, ready to swallow our national unity. When language was weaponised as a political axis, it birthed a narrow-mindedness that transformed provincial borders into walls of hatred.

From the toxic seeds of linguistics sprouted a form of nationalism that acts as a predatory force, severing individuals from their soil, their brethren, and their shared history, only to imprison them in a confined and prejudiced circle.

This “monster” has hollowed out the foundations of the Federation, injecting a slow poison........

© The Friday Times