Pakistani English - History

History

Although British rule in India lasted for almost two hundred years, the areas which lie in what is now Pakistan were amongst the last to be annexed: Sindh in 1843, Punjab (which initially included the North-West Frontier Province) in 1849, and parts of Baluchistan, including Quetta and the outer regions in 1879, while the rest of the Baluchistan region became a princely state within the British Indian Empire. As a result English had less time to become part of local culture though it did become part of elitist culture as it was used in the elitist schools and in higher education in these areas as it was in the rest of India. The colonial policies which made English a marker of elite status and the language of power—being used in such domains of power as the civil service, the officer corps of the armed forces, the higher judiciary, universities, prestigious newspapers, radio and entertainment—was due to British policies and the continuation of these policies by Pakistani governments. In 1947 upon Pakistan's establishment, English became Pakistan's de facto official language, a position which was formalised in the constitution of 1973. Even now, despite rhetorical demands to get rid of English, the language continues as the language of power and is also the language with the maximum cultural capital of any other language used in Pakistan. It remains and is much in demand in higher education in Pakistan.