Country Report on Local Language Computing Policy initiative

Table of Contents

S.No Title Page No 1. Official and National Language of Pakistan: ...................................... 1 1.1. Literacy Rate in Local and Foreign Languages: ................................ 1 1.2. IT Infrastructure Indicators:................................................................ 2 1.2.1. Connectivity: ................................................................................ 3

1.2.2. Computer Availability:.................................................................. 4

1.2.3. Mobile Diffusion: .......................................................................... 5

2. Local Language Computing Policy: ................................................... 6 2.1. English to Urdu Translators: ......................................................... 6

2.1.1 Constitutions of Pakistan 1973: ........................................... 7

2.1.2. National Language Authority: ............................................. 7

2.2. National IT Policy and Localization: ............................................ 9 2.3 Relevant Government Ministries and Organizations:................... 9 2.4. Other Public, Government, and Private Organization: ............. 10

3. Policy Initiatives: .............................................................................. 12 3.1.Discussion on Indigenous Languages: .................................... 13

3.2.Overview of Computer or Technical localization: ..................... 13

4. Challenges:...................................................................................... 14 5. Success/Achievements: .................................................................. 14 6. Future Plan for Localization: ............................................................ 15 7. Conclusion and Recommendations: ................................................ 16 8. Bibliography:.................................................................................... 18

List of Tables

1. Linguistic Population and Literacy rate by province of Pakistan,

1998 Census……………………………………………………………34

2. List of Minor Languages of Pakistan by Location, 1998 Census…35

List of Figures

1. Pakistan Literacy Ratio, 1998……………………………………..34

2. Pakistan Mobile Diffusion, 1990-2006………………………........35

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Introduction: This work examines Local Languages Computing Policy Initiatives of Pakistan and its

consequences for the native languages. It then relates this to efforts at localization that is

the creating computer based software in the local languages of the country and shows

that all such efforts have been power-oriented. This means that only those languages

have been selected for localization, which are used in the domains of power on national

as well as provincial government level, bureaucracy, judiciary, military, commerce, media,

education, research etc. Beside, National Language is a sign of identity of the nation and

it is feasible to strengthen Urdu on a national as well as international level with in the

domain of information technology.

The use of Information Communication Technology (ICT) in the day-to-day operations of the government and the private and public sectors is a must to leverage the economical and social developments. Considering Pakistan’s use of ICT for the development of the country, there is intense need for content developed in the local languages of the country. Providing the interface in Urdu will boost IT development activities in Pakistan, as well as in India and other SAARC countries. This initiative will potentially enable computer access in every street and village of Pakistan and South Asia. Teaching of Urdu will be facilitated and education in school can now be enhanced with the help of computers, because 92 percent of the population of Pakistan does not speak English.

1. Official and National Language of Pakistan: Pakistan is officially called the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and marks the

area where South Asia converges with Southwest Asia and Central Asia. Its highest point is the mountain K2 in the Himalayas and its lowest point is the Arabian Sea coast in the south. Much of Pakistan is sun-scorched but the country also possesses a variety of wetlands, with the glacial lakes of the Himalayas, the mudflats of the Indus Valley plains and the extensive coastal; mangroves of the Indus River delta.

Pakistan has a population of about 140 million and its people are ethnically diverse. This is largely because the country lies in an area that was invaded repeatedly during its long history. The people follow many different cultural traditions and speak many different languages and dialects. Urdu is the designated official and national language of Pakistan and is spoken and understood by more than 75% of the population. Urdu will be replaced English as the official language till 1978. Pakistan has one of the lowest literacy rates in the world (37%) and in 1998 the government launched a nationwide initiative with the aim of eradicating illiteracy and providing a basic education to all children.

1.1. Literacy Rate in Local and Foreign Languages: Language is an important marker of ethnic identity. Among the more than

twenty spoken languages in Pakistan, the most common ones are Punjabi, Sindhi, and Urdu as well as Pakhtu or Pashto, Balochi, and others, belong to the

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Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European language family. Additional languages, such as Shina and other FANA languages are related to the Dardic branch of Indo-European and the early Dravidian language family. Brahui is one such language speaking on minor level in Balochistan.

Although Urdu is the official national language, it is spoken as a native tongue by only 8 percent of the population. People, who speak Urdu as their native language generally, identify themselves as muhajirs. A large number of people from educated backgrounds speak Urdu, as opposed to their natal languages, in their homes, usually to help their children master it.

Nearly half of all Pakistanis (44.15 percent) speak Punjabi. The next most commonly spoken language is Pashto (15.42 percent), followed by Sindhi (14.1 percent) and the Punjabi variant Siraiki (10.53 percent), Balochi (3.57 percent), Hindko (2 percent), Brahui (1 percent) and Urdu by 7.57 percent. Native speakers of other languages, including English, Burushaski, and various other tongues account for 4.66 percent (Table-1).

The ethnic composition of Pakistan in the 1998 Census roughly corresponds to the linguistic distribution of the population, at least among the largest groups: 59.1 percent of Pakistanis identify themselves as Punjabis, 13.8 percent as Pakhtuns, 12.1 percent as Sindhis. 7.7 percent as muhajirs, 4.3 percent as Baloch, and 3 percent as members of other ethnic groups. Each group is primarily concentrated in its home province, with most muhajirs residing in urban Sind.

The literacy ratio of Pakistan in the 1998 Census roughly corresponds to the linguistic distribution of the population, The total population ratio of Pakistan is 43.92 percent having 54.81 percent male and 32.02 percent female (Table and Figure-1). The capital district Islamabad is the leading location having higher literacy ration of 72.88%. Province wise Punjab is the leading province having total literacy ration of 46.56 percent, followed by Sind (45.29 percent), NWFP (35.41 percent) Balochistan (24.83 percent), and FATA (17.42 percent). Also see Table-2 for understanding the local languages of the country spoken on small scale.

1.1.1. Minor Languages:

The number of language listed for Pakistan is 69. This chart however, lists only 58 as the major languages are given in the text. The mutually intelligible varieties of Grater Punjabi (Siraiki, Hindko, Potohari and Pahari) have not been included in this list (Table-2).

1.2. IT Infrastructure Indicators: Localization in ICTs requires definition and implementation of standards.

These standards include character set of encoding, layout of keyboard or keypad, sorting sequence, locale and ICTs terminology and well developed IT environment as well. In addition to definition of standards, applications also need to be developed for local language computing to support access and generation of local language content. The Ministry of IT has highlighted some of the

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objectives (1) in their policy to establish a well defined infrastructure throughout the country. These objectives are:

In order to grow, the local IT industry will need a suitable support infrastructure, i.e., telecommunications and information data banks. Development of the telecommunications sector will entail deregulation, liberalization, privatization, and the creation of a competitive market.

Establish IT parks and incubators, equipped with the most modern facilities and matchless incentives, to provide a one-stop shop for prospective investors in the IT industry.

The recommendations presented below will facilitate establishment of such an infrastructure.

Beside, a number of indicators have been defined by the ministry of IT to establish a more appropriate infrastructure with in the intact land of Pakistan. Some of them are stated as follow.

1.2.1. Connectivity: National telecommunication Corporation (NTC) is one of the important

organizations of the Govt. of Pakistan having a large scale network and has an installed capacity of 78,000 lines with 60,000 working connections. The Corporation plans to expand the network to 100,000 lines during 2003-04, which will provide a total number of 80,000 working connections. All NTC exchanges are digital, which are linked to each other through Optical Fiber (OF) media and digital radio system (DRS). The corporation is also in the process of establishing Optical Fiber backbone on Makran Coast to bring the people of the area into the mainstream of national development.

At present, the infrastructure of NTC throughout the country included on, “Public Switched Telephone Network, Multi Services Data Network, Optical Fiber Based Long haul and junction Network, and the Telecom buildings all over Pakistan with state of the art equipment and facilities”. Brief descriptions with necessary details of NTC Network regarding Services offering from the above are, Pots, BRI, PRI, DSL (Digital Subscriber Loop-based), Intranet, Virtual Private, Network, Leased Circuits, Co Location Facilities, Transit Facilities, and Web Hosting etc(Web Reference2).

Another autonomous body for having large connectivity through out the country is Pakistan Telecommunication Authority being a regulatory body is promoting the telecom sector since 1997. The Authority is responsible for regulating the establishment, operation and maintenance of telecommunication system and provision of telecom services in the country. It promotes and protects the interest of end users of telecommunication services. Pakistan under World Trade Organization (WTO) commitment is now ready to deregulate the whole of telecom sector. In the year 2002-03, the PTA has stepped forward to encourage the telecom operators and transfer of technology in Pakistan. In this regard, royalty of Internet Services Provider (ISP) has been reduced from 4 to 0.66 percent of the annual gross revenue. For card payphone service and cellular mobile service, it was reduced from 4 to 2 percent and 1.5 percent respectively of

1 GOP., (2000)., IT Policy and Action Plan., IT & Telecommunications Division Ministry of Science & Technology Government of Pakistan Islamabad., p. 1-42. http://www.moitt.gov.pk 2 http://www.apnic.net/mailing-lists/s-asia-it/archive/2002/04/msg00045.html

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gross revenue in the year 2001. Similarly with the launching of prepaid connections by cellular companies, the numbers of mobile phones subscribers have reached to 2.5 million by end of June 2003 as against 1.2 million up to June 2002, showing a growth of 105.8 percent. The introduction of new services in terms of technology advancement in the sector include: broadband Internet services, General Packet Radio Services (GPRS) facility, and Internet connectivity on the mobile phone. The PTA has issued 1,278 radio-based licenses and granted permission to install 291 Spread Spectrum Radio lines. For the value added services, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority has issued total 431 licenses including 177 licenses for card payphone services and 121 for electronic information service. For voice and data network services, 24 and satellite 8, trunk radio services 12, store and forward fax service 9, video conference 1 and 25 data communication network services license were issued uptil June 2003 (Web Reference1).

Beside, Pakistan Telecommunications Authority has allowed Internet Service providers to launch digital subscriber loop-based (DSL) internet system. PTA issued license to DSL and other net services providers to make familiar the internet service in the entire Pakistan and to establish their larger network connectivity throughout Pakistan.

1.2.2. Computer Availability: Due to the increased usage of computers and the internet, localized

operating systems are also under development. Work is in progress to localize Microsoft Windows (NLA), Microsoft Office suite (NLA), and Lexicon (Ministry of IT). In addition, the localization of hand-held devices is also being completed by the private sector. However, except for Urdu, little work is being done for other local languages. For more reliable system of localization, it is necessary to make convenient the availability of computer and software throughout the country. The computers came to Pakistan in mid 60’s when second-generation computer was installed at Karachi. Presently, there are over 1800 mainframe and minicomputers, about half of which are in the government sector. The growth in the number of computers during the last ten years was over 35 percent. This has been possible due the governments liberal import policy and reduction/removal of duties. It is estimated that there are roughly 450,000 new computers every year in Pakistan. While this seems a pitifully the small numbers, it represents a three-fold increase compared to 1996-1997. Analyst predicts that this number will increase 4-5 times in the next three years (Qazi2). There are two sources that enhancing IT technology and make sure the availability of computers in Pakistan. One is the Local branded Computers, which consists of the computer systems like Inbox, Akhter, Raffles, and IBM, Mango, etc; while the second one is International branded computers are HP, Dell, Acer, Compaq, Leno Bo, and Sony etc.

1 http://www.pakboi.gov.pk/BFacts/Comm_Infrastructure.html#pta 2 Role of information technology in the development of Pakistan, by Qazi W M.

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The following steps have mentioned in the policy of the Ministry of IT (1), Government of Pakistan for the availability of computer software and hardware in Pakistan.

1.2.2.1. In the context of Information Technology, the hardware industry can be defined as “design, development, manufacturing and maintenance of all products, modules and components that form the building blocks of an IT infrastructure”. A thriving hardware industry is pivotal to the growth of IT infrastructure and services. Development of this industry will make Pakistan self-reliant, competitive and a net exporter of technology.

1.2.2.2. The policy recommendations for this area do not seek to initiate aggressive competition with developed countries. Rather, they focus on developing the areas that are within Pakistan’s reach, in terms of technology and resources, and in which the country could have a comparative advantage. It is recommended that the concessions incorporated in policy for the software industry be extended to the hardware industry. General recommendations for this industry are provided below, divided into two important categories, i.e., manufacturing and R&D. Most of the value of the “hardware” development revolves around software development. However, the hardware needs to be in place for this to happen. The focus will be on niche markets with large value added content. Products that are of a high volume, rapidly changing variety (for example PCs) will not be encouraged.

1.2.2.3. The concessions incorporated in policy for the software industry shall be also extended to the hardware industry.

1.2.2.4. The EPB initiatives for ISO 9000/1 implementation will be effectively deployed in these industries.

1.2.3. Mobile Diffusion:

With incredible development in the mobile sector, there is high demand for localized handsets and services. Companies like Nokia and Samsung are already providing localized interfaces in Urdu, though work in other languages is still missing. Only limited services are being provided by telecommunication service companies at the moment but there is presently huge potential in the market, from local language SMS messages to more advanced localized services on national as well as provincial level.

With annual growth well in excess of 100%, the mobile telephone market in Pakistan has been experiencing a period of strong and sustained development. Mobile services were first offered in 1990 and, despite high costs,

1 GOP., (2000)., IT Policy and Action Plan., IT & Telecommunications Division Ministry of Science & Technology Government of Pakistan Islamabad., p. 1-42. http://www.moitt.gov.pk

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grew rapidly. Subscriber numbers have risen from 68,000 in 1996 to 3.3 million by end-2003, reaching over 21 million by early 2006 (Figure-2). However, by international standards, penetration remained relatively low at around 14%, suggesting that there was room for further expansion. Whilst progress has been made in the regulatory area, rigid policies slowed growth (1).

In addition to the broad Telecom sector objectives, as outlined in the Telecom Deregulation policy2, the following objectives specific to mobile cellular sector to be achieved. i. Promotion of efficient use of radio spectrum. ii. Increased choice for customers of Cellular mobile services at competitive

and affordable price. iii. Private investment in the cellular mobile sector. iv. Recognition of the rights and obligations of mobile cellular operators. v. Fair competition amongst mobile and fixed line operators. vi. An effective and well defined regulatory regime that is consistent with

International best practices. Currently, the different mobile companies that facilitated the locals of Pakistan

are: Instaphone, Paktel, Mobilink, Ufone, Telenor, and Warid. The IT and Telecom Division of Pakistan will promote it further with passage of time.

2. Local Language Computing Policy: The main question, which comes in the mind of a human, is why we translate from one human language to another. This question has many answers that reflect the importance of computerized translation in human life. Computerized translation of papers in offices, courts and other Government as well as private sectors has important aspects socially and scientifically. The social or political importance of computerized translation arises in the communities, where generally more than one human language is spoken. Here the only possible alternative is to adopt a single lingua franca, which is not a good and attractive approach, since it forces to adopt a single language and dominate others one and ultimately diminishing. This loss of language becomes the cause of disappearance of a unique culture also; this is a loss that everyone should matter. Therefore translation is necessary for communication, for saving obligatory languages and cultures and proper interaction of human in the society.

2.1. English to Urdu Translators:

It is also a fact that one cannot provide human translator in such a great supply that can meet the translating requirement of a multilingual community. Using computerized translation this problem can be reduced drastically and the productivity can also be increased by automating the translation task.

Similarly, the scientific importance of computer Translator cannot be overlooked. It provides good testing grounds for various ideas in Artificial Intelligence, Computer Linguistics and Computer Sciences. The availability of "translation engines" on the Internet allows for real-time translation of arbitrary text, and even entire web sites. The Google language bar [10] and AltaVista 1 http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reportinfo.asp?report_id=71844 2 www.pakistanlaw.com/mobilepolicy28012004.pdf

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Babelfish [9] are excellent examples of this new breed of machine translation systems that are available freely. Beside, AGHAZ and the POS (Parts of Speech) are English to Urdu translators available on national level.

As the majority of Pakistani people (95% of the whole population) [6] are unaware of English, machine translation applications have an immense potential in the Pakistani market. Therefore to design a translating system from English to Urdu has a great impact on the Urdu speaking population. Mostly all the research works and books have been written in English and a person ignorant of English language has strong sense of deprivation in this regard. Machine Translator for English to Urdu could therefore play a vital role in this regard (Khan etal, 20051)

There are many organizations in private as well as Government sectors in Pakistan, who are working on the translation of English to Urdu and also on localization of the national tongue (Urdu) in Pakistan having different policies and initiatives. Some of them are states as follow.

2.1.1. Constitutions of Pakistan 1973:

The main steps regarding Urdu as a national language of the country mentioned in the constitutions of Pakistan mad in 1973 are as under.

251 (1) The National language of Pakistan is Urdu, and arrangements shall be made for its being used for official and other purposes within fifteen years from the commencing day.

(2) Subject to clause (1), the English language may be used for official purposes until arrangements are made for its replacement by Urdu.

(3) Without prejudice to the status of the National language, a Provincial Assembly may by law prescribe measures for the leaching, promotion and use of a Provincial language in addition to the National language (2).

2.1.2. National Language Authority: The National Language Authority was established in 1979 in furtherance

of the objectives enunciated in article 251 (1) of the Constitution of Pakistan, 1973, having the following aims and objectives. 2.1.2.1. Objectives of the NLA:

To formulate and present recommendations to the Government for formal adoption of Urdu, the national language, for official and other affairs.

To develop linkages for cooperation and collaboration with various academic, research and educational institutions (3).

1 Khan etal, 2005, An Expert System Based approach for the Translation of English to Urdu, World Enformatika Society, Enformatika V6 2005 Issn 1305-5313.

2 http://www.nrb.gov.pk/constitutional_and_legal/constitution/part12.ch4.html

3 http://www.nla.gov.pk/projects1_files/slide0001.htm

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2.1.2.2. Charter of Duties:

To consider ways and means for the promotion of Urdu as the National Language of Pakistan and to make all necessary arrangements in this regard to submit recommendations to the Prime Minister for expediting the use of the National Language.

To facilitate introduction of Urdu as the Official language throughout the country by developing dictionaries and other reading materials for in-service training of the personnel working in Government/ Semi-Government Offices, Courts and other Institutions.

To coordinate the work of all Urdu. To facilitate the adoption of Urdu as the language to be used in all

Competitive Examinations, in cooperation with the Federal and Provincial Public Service Commissions Development Boards.

To carry out such other responsibilities as the Prime Minister may entrust to the Authority in regard to the promotion of the National Language.

2.1.2.3. Objectives of Center of Excellence for Urdu Informatics

o Construction and Development of Urdu Informatics Center o To help academic institutes and universities establish Urdu Informatics

Departments and provide support from Urdu Informatics Center. (e.g. Federal Urdu University to establish the first pilot Urdu Informatics Department)

o To provide the GOP with option in adoption of Urdu as official, judicial and instructional language of choice.

o To conduct research and development in all matters relating to Urdu standardizations and have declared as Center of Excellence and ultimate authority for all matters relating to Urdu Language (1).

2.1.2.4. Areas of Functioning:

Language Planning Status Planning Corpus Planning Language Development Language Research Language Usage General Purposes Official Usage Judicial Purposes Instructional Purposes

1 http://www.nla.gov.pk/New%20areas%20of%20functions_files/slide0001.htm

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Prototype Purpose

2.2. National IT Policy and Localization:

The objectives highlighted in the policy of Ministry of IT Government of Pakistan for the localization are as follow.

Standardize the Urdu code plate will be launched and a concerted plan to encourage the development of open source and licensable Urdu software would be undertaken. This will enable plug-ins for popular office and e-mail packages to be made available. This initiative is expected to drive the development of other Urdu and Regional software packages for word processing and data base applications.

The government will encourage the use of open source operating systems and low cost or free English language Office software for normal operations.

The intent of this initiative is to encourage people to develop skills in working and writing core software for applications and developing tools, which will go beyond the development of the local languages. The application programs for translation, speech to text conversion, databases, ASPs for popular packages will need to be written in currently and newly evolving software (1).

2.3. Relevant Government Ministries and Organizations: The other relevant ministries and organizations (Government as well as private sectors) that are working on the localization in Pakistan are as under. 2.3.1. Ministries:

1. Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth Affairs, 13th Floor, Shaheed-e-Millat Secretariat, China Chowk, Islamabad.

2. Ministry of Education, Islamabad. 3. Ministry of Food, Agriculture & Livestock, Islamabad. 4. Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Islamabad. 5. Ministry of Information Technology, Islamabad. 6. Ministry of Interior, Islamabad. 7. Ministry of Kashmir Affairs and Northern Areas, Islamabad. 8. Ministry of Labor, Manpower & Overseas Pakistanis, Islamabad. 9. Ministry of Law, Justice & Human Rights, Islamabad. 10. Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, Islamabad. 11. Ministry of Population Welfare, Islamabad. 12. Ministry of Science and Technology, Islamabad. 13. Ministry of Social Welfare and Special Education, Islamabad. 14. Ministry of Tourism, Islamabad.

1 GOP., (2000)., IT Policy and Action Plan., IT & Telecommunications Division Ministry of Science & Technology Government of Pakistan Islamabad., p. 1-42. www.moitt.gov.pk

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15. Ministry of Women Development, Islamabad.

2.3.2. Organizations:

1. National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) Islamabad. 2. Jang Group, Mashriq, Nawa-I-Waqat etc of News Paper, Islamabad. 3. All Urdu publisher companies of Pakistan. 4. All Universities of Pakistan. 5. All Islamic Madrasas of Pakistan.

2.4. Other Public, Government, and Private Organization:

1 Localisation in Pakistan by Dr. Sarmad Hussain & Sana Gul take a look at the localisation industry in Pakistan, Originally published in December 2004 issue of Localization Focus. To learn more about Localization Focus, click here.

2 Hamad Kianin, Freelancer, English to Urdu, Punjabi Translator and Media Prof. http://www.va4u.com/hamad/.

3 KHazana-e-Urdu (WebCrawler) members.tripod.com/~Maliki1/ . 4 Pakistan and Urdu Chat Room (Yahoo)

home.talkcity.com/StudioDr/desichat/HtmlChat.htm. 5 Kalasha-Khowar-Nuristani-Hindi-Urdu-Pashtu Word List (AltaVista)

www.ishipress.com/kalasha.htm. 6 Arshi's URDU Page: URDU on the WEB (WebCrawler)

www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Garden/7642/. 7 Urdu-English-Hindi Dictionary-Thesaurus (Yahoo) rajiv.org/iu/urdudic.html 8 Iftikhar' s Home Page (InfoSeek) www.ntu.ac.uk/cs/iftikhar/ 9 Jang Group of Newspapers (InfoSeek, Magellan) www.jang-group.com/. 10 Siasat Daily (Yahoo) www.siasat.com. 11 Urdu Internet (First complete Urdu Literary E-Zine (AltaVista)

www.designersweb.com/urdu/urdu.htm. 12 Apna Sangeet Radio (Yahoo) www.apnasangeet.com/. 13 Internet Pakistan - the zoooom network - Urdu (GoTo) zoooom.net/. 14 Urdu (AltaVista) radio.gov.pk/audio1.html. 15 Sami's Urdu / Hindi Film Music Page (InfoSeek)

www.lehigh.edu/sm0e/public/www-data/sami.html 16 The Beauty that is URDU (AltaVista) www.cs.uh.edu/~ahmed/urdu.html. 17 ITA'S Urdu Poetry Page (WebCrawler)

www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Ginza/6631/index.html. 18 Archives of Urdu Poetry (Yahoo)

members.aol.com/nkhanani/archives.html. 19 Urdustan.com : the land of Urdu (GoTo) www.urdustan.com/. 20 Ahmad, Tasmin (Yahoo) www.geocities.com/Paris/7860/. 21 The latest FREE URDU software, members.xoom.com/naseem_amjad/. 22 Urdu Web: Download Urdu Font (WebCrawler, Magellan)

www.urduweb.com/downfont.html. 23 Urdu Web: Download Urdu Font (WebCrawler, Magellan)

www.urduweb.com/downfont.html. 24 A1 Urdu 98 for Windows 95/98/NT (Word Processor, Database, Web)

(GoTo) pakdata.com/urdu98.htm. 25 Pakistan Data Management Services (Snap) pakdata.com/.

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26 English to Urdu translators: directory of translators and interpreters Directory of freelance translators and interpreters, http://www.proz.com/english-to-urdu-translators/50.

27 PITAC-JICA Project Phase-II, 234 Moulana Jalal-ud-Din Roomi Road, Lahore – 54600 Pakistan, http://www.pitac.gov.pk/jicamore/faqs.htm.

28 Nafees Nastalique: Character-Based Nastalique Font for Urdu, Pakistan, http://www.apdip.net/resources/case/rnd26/view.

29 Electronis Govt Directorate, Ministry of It Islamabad http://pakistan.gov.pk/e-government-directorate/projects/projectstobe.jsp

30 SDL International global information management solutions, http://www.sdl.com/company/company.htm

31 Free and Open Source Software (FOSS), http://www.mail-archive.com/linux-india-general@lists.sourceforge.net/msg00098.html

32 PAN Localization Project, A Regional Initiative to Develop Local Language Computing Capacity in Asia, http://www.panl10n.net/english/about-pan.htm

33 Urdu to English translations [Non-PRO] Computers: Software / Computer science, http://www.proz.com/kudoz/521326.

34 World's first Urdu Messenger launched, http://www.apnic.net/mailing-lists/s-asia-it/archive/2002/07/msg00038.html

35 Asia/Pacific Computer Services, http://asiapac.com.au/links/spokenlanguages.htm

36 Lixcamm International, Ltd, Local solution to the global communication, http://www.lexicomm.com/2004/main_content.php

37 Pakistan Open Source Organization, http://www.pakistanopensource.org/projects/

38 Blogger Template for Urdu blogs, http://www.urduweb.org/blog/2005/02/19/ 39 English Urdu Dictionary,

http://urduseek.com/dictionary?from=400&comments_per_page=50 40 IBM, USA, http://www.iap.gov.pk/content/view/4/26/ 41 The Translation Station, An Inter Lingua Company,

http://www.thetranslationstation.com/translation_interpret.html 42 LRC, Language Resource center, Software Collection,

http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~lrc/software/software.html 43 Offshore Outsource software development Pakistan and Complete

Ecommerce website solution provider, http://www.phptrack.com/ 44 Pashto Localization Project, http://sourceforge.net/projects/localizepashtu/ 45 Pakistan, Microsoft Development conference Karachi 2006,

http://www.microsoft.com/middleeast/pakistan/conference/speakers.aspx 46 Software Development Companies of Pakistan,

http://www.kellysearch.com/pk-product-20876.html 47 Pakistan Data Management Service, Pioneer of Urdu Nastaliq Internet

Software, http://www.pakdata.com/ 48 Pakistan Software Export Board, http://www.pseb.org.pk/page.php?pid=7 49 SSML for Urdu Speech Synthesis

www.w3.org/.../SSML%20for%20Urdu%20Speech%20Synthesis.pdf 50 Advance Language Translation Localization Service for Business,

http://www.advancedlanguage.com/ 51 Software Development Companies in Pakistan, http://www.kellysearch.com/pk-

product-20876.html 55. Urdu-english-punjabi translation, proofreading & DTP services

Abdul Wahab "Professional context specific translation in promised rates and time with complete confidentiality" Wahab Ltd.

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3. Policy Initiatives: The different projects, trainings and workshops, which are completed

successfully in Pakistan, are highlighted as under.

3.1. Project Title: Nafees Nasta'leeq font project (funded by IDRC, APDIP UNDP and APNIC) and Urdu Machine Translation, Text-to-Speech system and Lexicon systems through a three year 30 person project funded by E-Government Directorate of Government of Pakistan.

Company Name: E-Government Project Ministry of IT, UNDP,

APNIC, APDIP. Web Address: http://www.panl10n.net/english/trainers%5B6%5D.htm Description: PAN localization provided technical assistance for the

development of Nafees Nasta'leeq font project (funded by IDRC, APDIP UNDP and APNIC). Also they are currently working on the development of Urdu Machine Translation, Text-to-Speech system and Lexicon systems through a three year 30 person project funded by E-Government Directorate of Government of Pakistan. Currently they are working on the Urdu Spell-Checker project and advising on Urdu Terminology Translation project for Microsoft, USA.

3.2. Project Title: Computerized National Identity Card and Passport

Dated from and To: March 10, 2000 Company Name: National Database and Registration Authority

Web Address: http://www.nadra.gov.pk/site/351/default.aspx

Description: The National Database Organization (NDO) was established under the Ministry of Interior as a sister organization to undertake the task of handling the data being collected through National Data Forms during the Population Census in 1998. The National Data Forms (NDFs) were designed by a committee of experts encompassing maximum social and fiscal indicators as implements for future planning, documentation of the economy, and for creation of a comprehensive Citizens' Database. To cater to a organized and joined approach in both registration and social fields, NADRA was formed on 10th March 2000 by merging the National Database Organization

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(NDO) and the Directorate General of Registration (DGR). It is an independent corporate body with requisite autonomy.

3.1. Discussion on Indigenous Languages:

According to the constitution ‘Without prejudice to the National language,

a Provincial Assembly may by law prescribe measures for the teaching, promotion and use of a provincial language in addition to the national language’ (Article 251). However, the only provincial language, which is used in education as well as in the lower administration and judiciary, is Sindhi. Sindhi was used in Sind ever since the British conquest and its use, as its supporters complain, is now less in the cities (especially Karachi) than it was in British days. The only other language used by some schools upto class-5 and in the “madrassas” is Pashto. Except for these languages, and in these restricted domains, Pakistan’s indigenous languages are not used as media of instruction on for adult literacy in any part of Pakistan.

As movements for the preservation of minor (or weaker) languages in Europe tell us, if a child is told that his or her language is inferior, the message being conveyed is that he/she is inferior. In short, one is giving a negative image to a child by telling him or her that the ‘cultural capital’ they possess is not capital at all but a stigma and a handicap. This makes the child reject an aspect, and an essential one at that, of his or her legacy, history, culture and identity (1).

In Pakistan, as brought out earlier, the linguistic hierarchy is as follows: English, Urdu and local language. In the N.W.F.P and Sind, however, Pashto and Sindhi are seen as identity markers and are spoken informally. In Punjab, unfortunately, there is widespread culture. Parents, teachers and the peer group combine to embarrass students about this language. In all of the elitist English-medium schools the author visited there were policies forbidding students from speaking it. If anyone spoke Punjabi he or she was called ‘Paendu’ (rustic, village yokel) and made fun of. Many educated parents speak Urdu rather than Punjabi with their children (Table-2).

In short, the smaller languages of Pakistan are under threat and any policy which can help them cope with the dangers of internal linguistic pressure and globalization should be welcome especially in the field of Information Technology.

3.2. Overview of Computer or Technical localization: Localization, or technical localization, is merely the translation of

programmes originally written in English into other languages. In Pakistan, for instance, programmes have been developed in order to use Urdu in place of English in Windows. The history of the creation of Urdu software is inspiring because it was initially seen as an exercise in misplaced nationalistic zeal Urdu being the national language.

Urdu letters do not follow each other without changing shape. They adopt several shapes depending whether they are in the word-initial, medial or terminal positions. Moreover they do not begin at the same height. Their height (Kursi)

1 Rehman T., Language Policy and Localization in Pakistan: Proposal for a Paradigmatic Shift., p.1-19.

14

varies according to the word they are used in. Thus the computer had to be fed, as in logoraphic systems, with ligatures giving different combinations of betters. Such a programme, not being alphabetical, occupied much space. The first such system was developed by Ahmed Mirza Jameel, proprietor of the Elite Publishers (Karachi).

Ahmed Mirza Jameel was the first who has worked on the Urdu localization in July 1980, called NURI NASTALIQ and exhibited in Urdu Science College in August 1980. Later a number of softwares like Shahkar, Surkhab, Nastaliq, Nizami were created. The last mentioned was created by the Pakistan Data Management Services (PDMS) Karachi, established in Karachi in 1978, and it was installed by the National Language Authority (Maqtadra Qaumi Zaban) an institution specifically meant for promoting the use of Urdu in Pakistan in 1995. The PDMS has also created Mahir software, which works with the latest version of Windows and processes both Urdu and Sindhi (1).

4. Challenges: The following are the future challenges in the provision of localization in Pakistan. 1 One of the most important problems for the localization of Urdu in

Pakistan using Information technology is the lack of personals having simultaneous expertise in local languages and Information Technology.

2 Lack of morphological specialist of Urdu, which requires that the lexicon contain all the variations of a particular word.

3 Lack of integration of Urdu and other native languages to support existing word processing software

4 To develop an Operating Environments for Urdu as well as other native languages in UNIX, Linux, Microsoft Windows, and Mac OS X.

5 One particular issue that has been raised recently is the lack of collaboration among the various disparate groups working on the different facets of the entire problem of localization.

6 Lack of operating system, optical character recognition and spell checker for the native languages.

7 The lack of consistent and targeted research funding remains to be a significant challenge in developing the skill set required for long-term development in Urdu and other sub-native languages computational tools.

5. Success/Achievements: Some of the success and achievements of the localization in Pakistan are: 5.1. National Language Authority Government of Pakistan has introduced a

Microsoft Office 2003 Urdu Interface on 23rd Dec. 2005, ( Office 2003 Editionاردو مواجہ پيک ) and also Urdu Key board and alphabets.

5.2. One of the major localization initiatives has been the National ID cards project promoted by the Ministry of Interior in the premises of the HQ

1 Rehman T., Language Policy and Localization in Pakistan: Proposal for a Paradigmatic Shift.,

p.1-19.

15

NADRA Islamabad, which is working successfully on national as well as international level.

5.3. PAN achievements included on Nafees Nasta'leeq font project funded by IDRC, APDIP UNDP and APNIC.

5.4. E-Government Directorate (Ministry of IT) has completed Urdu Machine Translation, Text-to-Speech system and Lexicon systems through a three year 30 person project with the collaboration of PAN Localization Agency.

5.5. Sarmad H and Afzal M (2001) have defined the procedure of Urdu Computing Standards “Urdu Zabata Takhti” in Pakistan.

5.6. Introducing of different English to Urdu Translators like AGHAZ, POS (Parts of Speech), and MT (Machine Translation).

5.7. Establishment of different softwares like Shahkar, Surkhab, Nastaliq, Nizami and In Page etc.

6. Future Plan for Localization: Some of the future plans and strategies about localization in Pakistan are

as follow.

6.1. To promote the Nafees Nasta'leeq font project, Urdu Machine Translation,

Text-to-Speech system, and Lexicon systems and to implement the

system in different Government and private sectors.

6.2. To encourage the machine readable passport as well as the computerized

national Identity card projects on local basis and also to search different

platforms for its implementation on international level.

6.3. To appreciate the work of National Language Authority Government of

Pakistan that is “Microsoft Office 2003 Urdu Interface and also Urdu Key

board and alphabets and to promote the standard of it in to international

level using Urdu Lexicon of the Ministry of Information Technology.

6.4. To promote the localization on national level and to aware the locals about

the concept of localization, and its importance as a sign of national

identity.

6.5. To spread the telecom network on national level and to introduce new

computer companies in Pakistan and to make sure the availability of

computers hardware and software in the remote areas of the country.

6.6. To search out ways for the establishment of more reliable localization

system in Pakistan and to include new steps in the localization policy in

respect of IT technology.

6.2.7. To provide funding for the research on localization to different IT related

academia and t implement that research work in practical life.

16

6.8 To arrange different programs, workshops, and conferences on

localization for the awareness of the localization in the country.

7. Conclusion and Recommendations: Pakistan’s language policy is so far being in the interest of the privileged.

It has strengthened the English using elite’s hold over the most powerful and lucrative jobs in the state and the private sectors. The policy of localization should not follow these lines. It should empower the masses rather than the privileged. Although, localization is starting in Urdu, Pashto, and Sindhi, it should now be extended to the other languages of Pakistan. This will not be immediately cost-effective in economic terms but it will be expressively supportive of the identity and languages of the common people, who will be able to preserve the positive aspects of their culture, while undergoing modernization.

In short, Pakistan needs a localization, which empowers the common people rather than the elite or the multi-national corporations. Such a policy will also serve to raise the prestige of the indigenous (Native) languages of the country and save them from being further marginalized in this age of computerization and globalization. Some of the recommendations about localization in Pakistan are stated as under. 7.1. English was supposed to continue as the official language of Pakistan till

such time that the national languages replaced it and this can also possible if we promote our local languages using modern technologies.

7.2. Language is the most important aspect of culture. It is the dominant feature in determining nationality or ethnicity. It is the binding force that unites a people, and makes them distinct from others. Language represents a people’s heritage and identity.

7.3. The smaller languages of Pakistan are under threat and any policy which can help them survive with the dangers of internal linguistic pressure and globalization should be welcome especially in the field of Information Technology.

7.4. It is necessary to arrange workshop, conferences and other activities to promote the awareness about localization with in the entire land of Pakistan especially in the remote areas of the country.

7.5. Software to process Sindhi and Urdu are being used but there is little development in Punjabi, Pashto, Balochi and other languages. This, however, is now technically possible as these languages are all written in variants of the naskh and the nastaliq scripts. However, to create programmes in all languages of Pakistan a new policy of localization would be required.

7.6. The internet promotes a culture of Europe and informality, which actually breaks established norms of politeness in Pakistani society. First, there is the implied atmosphere of disrespect for titles, spellings and naming patterns in the way e-mail addresses are made, chatting is conducted and messages are sent. For instance, although Pakistani norms of politeness insist on the use of titles with the name, the internet promotes just the opposite as the standard.

7.7. Localization in Urdu is a step forward towards increasing the power base of the people. Initially, however, the investment will not appear to be cost-

17

effective in terms of economic calculations. At the moment the people, who are spreading the localization programmes in Urdu in Pakistan use English also. However, if the government actually starts using computers in Urdu-medium schools, it can really benefit a very large number of people. In these schools neither students nor teachers know enough Urdu to use the computer even if it is provided to them.

7.8. Localization in the other major languages of Pakistan will appear as a waste of money to begin with. After all, anyone who is literate can operate in Urdu in Pakistan though not in English. The rationale for this proposal is psychological and cultural more than practical. Culturally, appropriate computer programmes in the indigenous languages of Pakistan will support and strengthen these languages. They will bring them more esteem and may, perhaps, encourage people to feel that they too can be used in modern domains.

7.9. To integrate the ideas of the different software and standardization companies regarding the localization in Pakistan and to formulate standard software for each local language on national as well as provincial level.

7.10. Localization is the only way to educate the people of the Islamic ideological approach in IT technology, who are staying in the Islamic Madari’s as they are against the English literature and their modernized fashions and a big part of our national community.

7.11. According to Lord Macaulay (2nd Feb. 1835) “the East Indian Company has provided financial aid to India for the purpose to promote the English Language in the region”. Resultantly, the Indian’s seems Indian’s by face but mentally they are like English. So that localization is the only bases, which can save our future generation from the statement of Lord Macaulay's and empower us to promote our own national identity. Beside, the raise in localization is also a sign of development in different countries like China, Germany, and Japan etc. http://www.languageinindia.com/april2003/macaulay.html.

7.12. Localization will also play a vital rule in the awareness of the people about the women’s rights, children’s rights, AIDS, and family planning.

18

8. Bibliography:

Marty Chakoian., (2003).,Information Technology Indicators for a Healthy

Community., City of Seattle Information Technology Indicators Project. P.77.

Timothy Baldwin., (2006)., An Intelligent Search Infrastructure for Language Resources on the Web., Initiative Description - Public Version., ARC Special Research Initiative (E-Research) SR0567353.

http://lt.csse.unimelb.edu.au/projects/langsearch Hussain S., (2006)., Computing in Pakistani Languages., Center for Research in

Urdu Language Processing National University of Computer and Emerging National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences., pp. 1-13. Sarmad.hussain @.nu nu.edu edu.pk.

Muhammad Afzal and Sarmad Hussain., 2001., Urdu Computing Standards: Development of Urdu Zabta Takhti - WG2 N2413-2 - SC2 N3589-2 (UZT) 1.01., Proceedings of INMIC2001, Organized by IEEE & Lahore University of Management Sciences, Lahore, December 28-30, 2001, pp: 216-222.

TILIP., Localization Focus., The international Journal for Localization., Be recognized as a Localization Professional,. Vol. 4 Issue, ISSN 1649-2358., www.tilponline.org.

FOSSFP: Free and Open Source Software Foundation of Pakistan., Suite 5-A, 1st Floor, 32-M, Manzoor Plaza, Civic Centre Model Town Extension Lahore -54700 Pakistan - South Asia., www.fossfp.org.

Hamayun M., (2006)., Urdu Morphology, and Lexicon Extraction., M.Sc Thesis., Department of Computer science and Engineering, Sweden., p-108.

Khan M., (2005)., Software Localization Challenges for Bangladesh., BRAC University 66 Mohakhali C/A, Dhaka-1212, Bangladesh mumit@bracuniversity.ac.bd.

LUNSFORD,Wayne A. 2001. ‘An Overview of Linguistic structures in Torwali’, Unpublished M.A Thesis, The U of Texas, Arlington.

LOSEY, Wayne E. 2002. ‘Writing Gojri; Linguistic and Sociolinguistic Constraints on a Standardized Orthography for the Gujars of South Asia’. Unpublished M.A Thesis, University of North Dakota.

Dyrud, Lars O. 2001. ‘Hindi-Urdu: Stress Accent or Non-Stress Accent?’, Unpublished M.A Thesis, University of North Dakota.

Mock, John Howard. 1998. ‘The Discursive Construction of Reality in the Wakhi Community of Northern Pakistan’. Ph. D Dissertation, University of California Berkeley.

Anderson, Gregory D.S. 2001. ‘Burushaski Papers’. Unpublished papers in the possession of the SIL Library, Islamabad. Abbas, Shemeem. 1993. ‘The Power of English in Pakistan’. World Englishes 12: 2: 147-56.

Khwaja etal., Algorithm of Urdu Translation Engine., Sir Syed University of Engineering & Technology, University Road, Karachi, Pakistan., p. 1-4.

Hussain S., Urdu Localization Project: Lexicon, MT and TTS (ULP)., Center for Research in Urdu Language Processing, National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences B-Block, Faisal Town Lahore, Pakistan., p. 1-2.

Bilal K et al., (2005)., Extracting Multiword Expressions in Machine Translation from English to Urdu using Relational Data Approach., Transactions On Engineering, Computing And Technology V6 June 2005 Issn 1305-5313.

19

Muhammad U., (2005)., AGHAZ1: An Expert System Based approach for the Translation of English to Urdu., Transactions On Engineering, Computing And Technology V6 June 2005 Issn 1305-5313.

Hung C., (2003)., Using Handheld and Wireless Technology for Classroom and Community-Based South Asian Language Pedagogy., Tao Bai, Konstantin Läufer (contact author), and George K. Thiruvathukal Department of Computer Science Loyola University Chicago.

Zia K., STANDARD CODE TABLE FOR URDU., FAST Institute of Computer Science, Lahore. Pakistan.

Sheikh K etal., (2004)., Algorithm of Urdu Translation Engine., National Conference on Emerging Technologies., pp. 2-4.

20

Table:- 1. Linguistic Population and Literacy rate by province of Pakistan 1998 Census

Linguistic Population (%) Lit. Ratio of Pakistan Admin. Unit

Urdu Punjabi Sindhi Pushto Balochi Saraiki Others Total Male Female

Pakistan 7.57 44.15 14.1 15.42 3.57 10.53 4.66 43.92 54.81 32.02

N W F P 0.78 0.97 0.04 73.9 0.01 3.86 20.43 35.41 51.39 18.82

F A T A 0.18 0.23 0.01 99.1 0.04 - 0.45 17.42 29.51 3.00

Punjab 4.51 75.23 0.13 1.16 0.66 17.36 0.95 46.56 57.20 35.10

Sindh 21.05 6.99 59.73 4.19 2.11 1.00 4.93 45.29 54.50 34.78

Balochistan 0.97 2.52 5.58 29.64 54.76 2.42 4.11 24.83 34.03 14.09

Islamabad 10.11 71.66 0.56 9.52 0.06 1.11 6.98 72.88 80.64 62.39

Figure:- 1. Pakistan Literacy Ratio, 1998

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

Provincec

Litr

acy

Rat

ion

1998

Total Male

Female

Total 43.92 35.41 17.42 46.56 45.29 24.83 72.88

Male 54.81 51.39 29.51 57.2 54.5 34.03 80.64

Female 32.02 18.82 3 35.1 34.78 14.09 62.39

Pakistan N W F P F A T A Punjab Sindh Balochistan Islamabad

21

Table- 2: List of Minor Languages of Pakistan by Location, 1998 Census

Language Other Names Where Spoken Speakers Source

Aer Jikrio Goth around Deh 333, Hyderabad

200 in 1998 Grimes 2000

Badeshi Badakhshi (variety of Persian) Bishigram, Chail Valley (Swat, Kohistan)

Not known, maybe 400

Grimes 2000 Zaman 2002

Bagri Bagria, Bagris, Baorias, Bahgri Sindh and Punjab (nomadic between India and Pakistan)

200,000

(in 1998)

Grimes 2000

Balti Baltistani, Sbalti Baltistan 27,000-300,000 SSNP-2: 8 & Grimes 2000

Bashgali Eastern Kativiri Gobar, Rumbur Valley (Chitral)

3700-5100 SSNP-5: 134

Bateri Bateri Kohistani

Baterawal, Baterawal Kohistani

Indus Kohistan Batera village (East of Indus North of Besham)

30,000

(in 1992)

Breton 1997: 200; Grimes 2000

Bhaya Kapri Goth near Khipro Mirpur Khas (Lower Sindh)

700

(in 1998)

Grimes 2000

Burushaski Mishaski, Biltum, Werchikwar Khajuna

Hunza, Nagar, Yasin valleys (Northern areas)

55,000-60,000 (in 1981)

SSNP-2: 37

Grimes 2000

Chilisso Chiliss, Galos Koli, Palas, Jalkot Indus Kohistan

2000-3000

(in 1992)

Breton 1997: 200 & Grimes 2000

Figure-2: Pakistan Mobile Diffusion, 1990-2006

0

500000

1000000

1500000

2000000

2500000

Year

Num

ber o

f the

Mob

iles

Series2 100 68000 330000 2100000

1990 1996 2003 2006

22

Dameli Gudoji, Damia, Damedi, Damel Damel Valley (Southern Chitral)

2000-5000

(in 1992)

SSNP-5: 11

Dehwari Deghwari Kalat, Mastung (Central Balochistan)

10,000-13,000

(in 1998)

Breton 1997: 200 & Grimes 2000

Dhatki Dhati Tharparkar, Sanghar (Sindh) 200,000 (in

plus

1987)

Grimes 2000

Dogri Punjabi, Pahari Azad Kashmir 1 million? Breton 1997: 200

Domaaki Domaski, Doma Mominabad (Hunza & Nagar)

300 plus

(in 2002)

SSNP 2: 79; Grimes 2000; personal observation

Gawar-Bati Narsati, Nurisati, Gowari, Aranduiwar,

Southern Chitral, Arandu, Kunar river

1500 SSNP-5: 156 Breton 1997: 200

Satr, Gowar-bati

along Pakistan-Afghanistan border (in 1992) & Grimes 2000

Ghera Sindhi Ghera, Bara Hyderabad Sindh 10,000

(in 1998)

Grimes 2000

Goaria Cities of Sindh 25,000

(in 1998)

Grimes 2000

Gowro Gabaro, Gabar Khel (different from Gawri)

Indus Kohistan (on the eastern bank, Mahrin village)

200

(in 1990)

Breton 1997: 200 &

Grimes 2000

Gujari Gujari, Gojri, Gogri Kashmir Gujuri, Gujuri Rajasthani

Swat, Dir, Northern areas, Azad Kashmir

300,000-700,000 plus

(in 1992)

SSNP-3: 96 & Grimes 2000

Gujrati Gujrati Karachi, other parts of Sindh

100,000 Grimes 2000

Gurgula Marwari, Ghera (Lexical similarity to Ghera) Karachi,

cities of Sindh 35,000

(in 1998)

Grimes 2000

Hazargi Hazara, Hezareh, Hezare’i (similar to Persian)

Quetta 220,000 Grimes

(in 1998)

2000

Jadgali Jatgali, Jatki, Jat Southern Balochistan and Southwest Sindh

100,000

(in 1998)

Grimes 2000

Jandavra Jhandoria Southern Sindh from Hyderabad to Mirpur Khas

5000

(in 1998)

Grimes 2000

Kabutra Nat, Natra Umarkot, Kunri, Nara Dhoro (Sindh)

1,000

(in 1998)

Grimes 2000

Kachchi Cutch, Kachi Karachi 50,000

(in 1998)

Grimes 2000

Kalami Bashgharik, Dir Kohistani, Bashkarik, Diri, Kohistana, Dirwali, Kalami Kohistani, Gouri, Kohistani, Bashkari, Gawri, Garwi

Kalam (Swat)

Dir Kohistan

60,000-70,000

(in 1995)

Baart 1999: 4

Kalasha Bashgali, Kalashwar, Urtsuniwar, Kalashamon, Kalash

Kalash Valleys (Chitral) southern

2900-5700

(in 1992)

SSNP-5: 11

Kalkoti None reported Dir Kohistan in Kalkot village

6000

(in 2002)

Breton 1997: 200; Zaman 2002

Kamviri Skekhani, Kamdeshi, Lamertiviri, Kamik

Chitral (southern end of Bashgal Valley)

2000

(in 1992)

SSNP-5: 143; Grimes 2000

23

Kashmiri Keshuri Kashmir & diaspora 105,000

(in 1993)

Breton 1997: 200; Grimes: 2000

Kati Bashgali, Kativiri, Nuristani Chitral, Gobar Linkah Valleys

3700-5100

(in 1992)

Grimes 2000

Khetrani None reported Northeast Balochistan Few thousand

(in 1987)

Grimes 2000

Khowar Chitrali, Qashqari, Arniya, Patu, Kohwar, Kashkara

Chitral, Northern areas, Ushu in northern Swat

250,000 plus (in 1993)

SSNP-5: 11 Breton 1997: 200; Grimes 2000

Kohistani Indus Kohistani, Kalami, Dir Kohistani, Kohiste, Khili, Maiyon, Maiya, Shuthun, Mair Indus

Kohistan West bank of river

220,000

(in 1993)

Grimes 2000

Koli Kachi Kachi, Koli,

Kachi Koli

(Lower Sindh) around Towns of Tando Allahyar & Tando Adam

170,000

(in 1998)

Grimes 2000

Koli Parkari Parkari (Lexical similarity with Marwari Bhil and Tharadari)

Lower Thar Desert

Nagar Parkar

30,000

(in 1980)

Grimes 2000

Kundal Shahi

Neelam Valley, Azad Kashmir

500 (in 2003) Baart and Rehman 2003

Lasi Lassi Las Bela District

(south east Balochistan)

15,000

(in 1998)

Grimes 2000

Loarki Sindh---various places 25,000

(in 1998) Grimes 2000

Marwari

(southern)

Rajasthani, Meghwar, jaiselmer, Marawar

South Punjab north of Dadu Nawabshah

220,000

(in 1998)

Grimes 2000

Memoni Similarities to Sindhi and Gujrati Karachi Unknown Grimes 2000

Od Odki Scattered in Sindh & south Punjab

50,000

(in 1998)

Grimes 2000

Ormuri Buraki, Bargista Kaniguram

(south Waziristan) some in Afghanistan

3000? SSNP-4: 54

Grimes 2000

Pashai Refugees from Afghanistan

5000? Breton 1997: 200

Persian Farsi, Madaglashti Persian in Chitral Dari, Tajik, Badakhshi

Balochistan, Shishikoh Valley in Chitral, Quetta, Peshawar, etc.

2000-3000

(in 1992)

SSNP-5: 11

Grimes 2000

Phalura Dangarik, Ashreti, Tangiri, Palula, Biyori, Phalulo

7 villages near Drosh, Chitral possibly 1 village in Dir Kohistan

8600

(in 1990)

SSNP-5: 11

Sansi None reported (Lexical similarity with Urdu)

North-western Sindh 10,000

(in 1998)

Grimes 2000

Shina Sina, Shinaki Giligit, Kohistan, Baltistan

500,000 SSNP-2: 93

Sindhi Bhil Bhil Badin, Matla, Thatta (Sindh)

50,000

(in 1998)

Grimes 2000

Sochi Dialect of Sansi with 83% lexical similarity.

Sindh- various places 100,000 Grimes 2000

24

Torwali Kohistani, Bahrain Kohistani Bahrain (Swat) 60,000 Breton 1997: 200; Lunsford 2001

Ushojo

(Ushuji)

Upper part of Bishigram Valley in Swat

Chail Vally, Swat District

1000

(in 2002)

Zaman 2002

Vaghri Vaghri Koli Sindh (many places) 10,000

(in 1998)

Grimes 2000

Wadiyara Wadiyare

Koli

Between Mirpurkhas and Matli

180,000 Grimes 2000

Wakhi Kheek, Kheekwar, Wakhani, Wakhigi, Wakhan

Northern ends of Hunza & Chitral

9,000 plus

(in 1992)

SSNP-2: 61

Wanetsi Tarino, Chalgari Harnai

(East of Quetta)

95,000

(in 1998)

SSNP-4: 51 Breton 1997: 200 Grimes 2000

Yidgha Yidghah, Luthuhwar Upper Lutkoh Valley

(Western Chitral)

5000-6000

(in 1991)

SSNP-5: 11

Grimes