Beware of Linguistic and Cultural Terrorism

Fourth Generation War is essentially a civilian (non-military) doctrine which is characterized by attack on ideology, culture and social values, small combat actions by non state actors, media and information warfare and psychological operations. In such warfare the media persons and journalists are purchased for propagating a set pattern of information and the target nation is broken into various segments on racial, sectarian and linguistic grounds. 

Recently, there has been an adaption of many Hindi words for which already alternatives in Urdu exist. But our writers and TV channels, mostly having loyalties and funding from India, prefer to use the Hindi words to express their linkages with India.

Herein under are some of the examples of many words being replaced:

ابتدا                  شروعات

تقریباٌ                     قریب

انتخاب                    چناو

کشیدگی                    تناو

نظر آتا ھے        دکھتا ھے
سوکن                    سوتن
گیتی

خُدا  ۔  اللّٰہ تعَالٰی      اُپر والا

"پتنی کی ہتھیا کو آتما ہتھیا میں بدلنے والا چمتکاری پتی"

It is time now that we start to ponder over even minor things, which we otherwise tend to ignore, specially when it comes to copying words from Hindi and innocently incorporating into our daily usage. If this trend continues unabated and unchecked, I am afraid one day we would revert to Hindi rather than Urdu which was born to suit the Muslim rulers of India, and one day our children will be speaking more of Hindi and less of native languages.

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Aman ki (bh)asha

Pakistan and India have had a very bitter past since the countries were freed from the yoke of the British rule back in 1947. The hidden and secret politics played by the Indian leaders and the Lord Mountbatten, the last viceroy of the united India and the first governor general of independent India, resulted into tacitly giving away the Muslim majority state of Jammu and Kashmir, has been the main cause of the bitterness since. Both countries have fought a number of wars, mainly on the issue of Kashmir, but remained indecisive to resolve the issue.

With this dispute at the backdrop, both governments and the people of the two countries remain at loggerhead till date. No occasion is left in trying to score a plus on the other. Even when the two countries go to cricket, hockey or any other game, the match stimulates warlike environment rather than a healthy play.

Recently, a leading newspaper of Pakistan, backed by its own TV channel, has joined hands with a leading newspaper of India to pursue for peace between the two countries with the slogan “Aman ki Asha” – meaning in pursuit of peace (just like the title of the famous film “in pursuit of happiness”). The intellectuals on both sides meet regularly, visit each other’s country and speak of love and reconciliation. And the cause being a noble one is sailing comfortably, although between a very tiny fraction of the population of both countries. So far so good for Aman ki Asha.

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But what about the vast majority of the two countries and the BHASHA (language) they use on internet or at any other forum where common people meet? I am usually saddened to read comments, specially on the youtube, where patriots from both sides resort to a bizarre and very vulgar and offensive bhasha in scoring a point over the other. And there is no dearth of such exchange of “sentiments”, which are at tangent to the ongoing pursuit of peace, the Aman ki Asha. I wanted to translate some exchange of words, but I felt ashamed of even doing that and putting these here.

Its time now that the common man on both side needs to learn that usage of vulgar and offensive “bhasha” would never resolve issues. Before we really go down to pursue peace, we need to emphasize on the common people on both sides to tone down their "bhasha" first and learn to respect each other. It would be only then that we may someday hope and crave for an everlasting peace.

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