The Role of Literary and Cultural Associations in the Development of Saraiki Ethnic Identity in Pakistan

Abstract

Ethnic identity is based upon primordial and instrumental linkages which across the multiple sources produce the sense of oneness while emphasizing upon any streak of its attachment. Pakistan is no exception in this regard and, due to the plurality of cultural exposition, it has demonstrated the case of regional pull based on different ethnic identities. Ethnic identity inherently is the lingual, racial, religious, caste, color, and creed orientation of specific human groups living in mono-cultural or multi-cultural geographies. The multiethnic mosaic of Pakistan has raised the questions of accommodation and integration of different ethnic identities. The challenging task of the state was not to let the identities assert in a way that would make the state nowhere. Therefore, a federal policy was conceived to address the issue of ethnic identities. The research has taken up the issue of ethnic concerns concerning the assertion of Saraiki's identity. It had calculated the literary and cultural concerns of the associations which gave them legitimacy for raising the issue of Saraiki ethnic identity. The research is an effort to explore and describe the role of literary and cultural associations in the growth and consciousness of Saraiki ethnic identity.