Quetta, May 14: A prominent student organization has strongly criticized the removal of Balochi and Brahui language programs from Pakistan’s radio broadcasts under the ‘Balochistan Digital Policy 2026.’ The student body labeled this decision as cunning and malicious.
The Baloch Students Action Committee (BSAC) stated that this move, coupled with cuts to the annual funding of the Balochi Academy, aims to eradicate the languages of the Baloch community.
According to the student organization, Balochistan’s two primary languages, Balochi and Brahui, are already at risk of extinction. They accused the government of failing to implement adequate measures for the promotion and preservation of these languages.
BSAC remarked, “Globally, countries educate in their mother tongues and create literature to ensure a wealth of knowledge in those languages. Yet, instead of fostering the development of mother tongues in Balochistan, the government is intent on eradicating them. This process is directly linked to the identity of the Baloch nation. While the government claims to improve school operations and literacy rates, we witness restrictions and obstacles imposed on Balochi and Brahui languages.”
The student organization pointed out that there has long been an unannounced ban on mother tongues in Balochistan, pushing these languages dangerously close to extinction. They asserted that instead of saving these languages, the government is attempting to eliminate them completely.
BSAC claimed that there was a conspiracy last year to dismantle the departments of Balochi, Brahui, and Pashto languages at Balochistan University, regarded as the oldest and primary center for education in the province.
It was also noted that Pakistani authorities attempted to justify this action by presenting a bill in the assembly, citing a decline in student enrollment.
BSAC stated, “We believe this is a calculated conspiracy, as these departments were deliberately deprived of necessary facilities for student enrollment and education. Moreover, the government recently announced cuts to the annual funding of the Balochi Academy, which works entirely for the preservation and development of the mother tongue. This is sheer oppression and injustice against the mother tongues. Now, under the ‘Balochistan Digital Policy 2026,’ programs in Brahui and Balochi are being eliminated from Radio Pakistan.”
The student organization asserted that such actions are an attack on the identity of the Baloch people, emphasizing that language and culture are the foundations of a nation’s identity, and eradicating a language ultimately erases a people’s existence.
They stated, “This policy is being implemented with cunning and ill intentions. We not only strongly condemn such decisions but also view these actions as exploitation of languages, which deeply concerns us. We demand an immediate review and reversal of these decisions made against the languages with malicious intent.”
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