Language Displacement and the Status of Urdu in Baloch-Dominated Areas of Balochistan, Pakistan

Abstract

This study investigates the status and use of Urdu, the national language of Pakistan, amidst the regional conflict in Mastung and Kalat, the Baloch majority areas of Balochistan. The study used an exploratory mixed-method approach to achieve its objective of observing language patterns within Baloch and Brahvi communities across familial, social, commercial, and institutional contexts. To answer the research questions, a sample of 100 participants (50 educated and 50 uneducated) were asked to fill a questionnaire. Furthermore, 20 semi-structured ethnographic interviews and participant and non-participant observations in classroom and market settings were also conducted. The study reveals Brahvi has replaced Urdu as the main language in the places where Baloch reside. People from all walks of life (home, school, public) choose to speak Brahvi. The study shows that the limited usage of Urdu is not chiefly caused by anti-Urdu sentiment but by growing preference for Brahvi and Balochi as emblems of regional identity, further intensified by the on-going fifth insurgency in Balochistan. The research also highlights how Punjabi community left Mastung and Kalat after targeted killings, which eliminated the presence of historically significant Punjabi and Urdu-speaking business community and made the national language even less used. The study suggests a new language policy that supports and takes into account regional languages together with Urdu.