Language is not merely a means of conversation. It is identity, culture, historical memory, and an inseparable part of a society’s character. Respecting people’s language is, in truth, respecting their identity and human dignity. For this reason, whenever the language of a community is ignored in the public sphere, and another language is imposed on its people without regard for their needs and comprehension, questions must be raised about linguistic justice and the equality of citizens.
Today, one of the serious questions in Badakhshan is this: Why are speeches, banners, and public messages in many cases delivered and displayed in Pashto, when the dominant language of a large portion of the people of this land is Persian, and Uzbek is also spoken among some of its residents? Why are messages intended for the people of a region not composed in languages that the people of that same region can read, understand, and engage with?
This question does not mean opposition to the Pashto language or its speakers. Pashto, like Persian and Uzbek, deserves respect and preservation. The issue is not about elevating one language over another. The issue is the disregard for the language and identity of the indigenous people in their own land. Just as Pashto-speaking people have the right to receive public messages in their own language, the Persian-speaking and Uzbek-speaking people of Badakhshan enjoy the same right.
If the purpose of putting up banners and holding cultural programs is to raise awareness and communicate with the people, why is the language of the main audience not taken into consideration? A public message gains real meaning only when people can read and understand it. Putting up banners that a large part of the local population cannot read is, at the very least, a sign of indifference to the linguistic needs of the community, and if this practice continues in a systematic and discriminatory manner, it could amount to linguistic and national oppression.
Tahir Badakhshi and the Struggle Against National Oppression
Tahir Badakhshi was a political figure and advocate of justice in the contemporary history of Afghanistan who raised the issue of national oppression as one of the fundamental problems of Afghanistan’s society. He believed that social justice cannot be achieved without national equality and the elimination of discrimination among the country’s ethnic groups and nationalities.
In an account of his conversation with Mohammad Daoud Khan, when he was asked about the reason for his struggle and the meaning of national oppression, he did not reduce the issue to political slogans alone. He pointed instead to inequality in the power structure and the unbalanced share of regions and nationalities in running the country. In this account, he speaks of the difference between the presence of governors and government officials in provinces such as Maidan Wardak, Logar, and Laghman and in large provinces such as Badakhshan, Balkh, and Herat.
The message of this account is clear: when the people of a region, despite their population, history, and social and cultural capacities, do not have an equal share in the country’s administration and decision-making structure, questions must be raised about justice and equality.
Of course, Tahir Badakhshi’s thought should not be limited to a single account or a single example. The importance of his outlook lay in raising a fundamental issue: no ethnic group, language, or region should be pushed to the margins, and no citizen should be deprived of equal rights because of their ethnic or linguistic affiliation.
Badakhshan and the Right to Respect for the People’s Language
Badakhshan is a land with an ancient cultural and civilizational heritage, a land where Persian holds a broad historical and social standing and where Uzbek also forms part of its linguistic diversity. Respecting this reality is neither a demand for privilege nor opposition to the country’s other languages. It is an acceptance of diversity and respect for the rights of the people.
The duty of cultural institutions is not limited to holding ceremonies and putting up banners. Safeguarding languages, cultures, and the identity of the people is also part of their responsibility. It is also expected that elders, cultural figures, writers, university lecturers, and civil society institutions in Badakhshan will express their views on this matter. Silence in the face of the disregard for the people’s language is not the solution to this problem. Protest against linguistic discrimination should also not turn into hostility between ethnic groups and languages, because the main demand is equality and mutual respect.
The solution is clear: in banners, speeches, cultural programs, and public messages in Badakhshan, the Persian language, and in the relevant areas and on relevant occasions the Uzbek language as well, must be used appropriately. Pashto can also be present alongside these languages, but not at the cost of eliminating or ignoring the other languages.
Concluding Remarks
If Tahir Badakhshi stood against discrimination and national inequality in his time, then today one cannot honor his name and ideas while remaining silent in the face of the disregard for the people’s linguistic rights. Honoring a justice-seeking figure does not gain meaning merely by holding memorial ceremonies and publishing his photographs. Loyalty to his ideas finds meaning in practice and in the defense of justice, equality, and the dignity of all people.
We do not demand the removal of the Pashto language, just as we do not demand the removal of any other language. Our demand is that the language of no people be given precedence over the language of other people, and that no community feel like a stranger in its own land.
If the people of Badakhshan cannot read public messages in their own language, if their language and identity are ignored in official programs, and if cultural officials remain silent in the face of this situation, then one must ask: Is this disregard for the people’s linguistic rights not an example of national oppression?
National justice begins with respect for the language and identity of the people, and Badakhshan asks for nothing less than equal rights, respect, and human dignity.
You can read the Persian version of this article here:
ستم ملی؛ وقتی زبان مردم در سرزمین خودشان نادیده گرفته میشود
