OTTAWA, MAY 19 (DNA) – The High Commission of Pakistan in Canada has requested the Canadian authorities to consider inclusion of Urdu in the list of individual national languages and Punjabi Shahmukhi and Punjabi Gurmukhi as two separate entries for mother tongue for the Canadian census 2021.
In a letter addressed to Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada, the High Commission for Pakistan said a large number of notable Pakistani origin Canadians have approached the high commission to request the Canadian authorities for inclusion of Urdu in the list of individual languages of Canadian census 2021 for the recognition and celebration of rich cultural heritage of Pakistani origin Canadians.
The letter noted that Urdu is the national language of Pakistan and has been serving as robust medium of connectivity and cohesion in a culturally diverse national landscape of the country.
The High Commission further requested to consider for future census, entries of Punjabi Shahmukhi and Gurmukhi as separate mother tongues because both languages followed two entirely different scripts as is the case with Urdu and Hindi.
The letter concluded that the Canadian census does not record this distinction affecting resources which are currently allocated for the promotion of media and content only in Punjabi Gurmukhi used in the Indian Punjab. = DNA
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