Urdu Language and the Civilizational Conflict after the Creation of Pakistan: A Socio-Cultural Study of Identity

اردو زبان اور تخلیق پاکستان کے بعد تہذیبی بُعد: شناخت  کا سماجی و ثقافتی مطالعہ

Abstract

This research analyses the creation of Pakistan as a result of a profound civilizational conflict rather than a mere political shift. For centuries, the Indian subcontinent hosted two distinct social orders—Islamic and Hindu—which maintained divergent beliefs, languages, and worldviews. The study employs a qualitative historical method to examine how the erosion of Muslim political power under British rule and the subsequent rise of Hindu nationalism catalysed the "Two-Nation Theory."

Key findings highlight that the ideological rift was rooted in fundamental contradictions: Islamic egalitarianism versus the Hindu caste system. Significant cultural triggers, such as the Urdu-Hindi controversy and the forced imposition of non-Islamic symbols, intensified the struggle for a separate identity. Furthermore, the paper examines the 1947 partition as a "humanitarian catastrophe," where moral values collapsed into communal violence and mass displacement. This era of "civilizational conflict" (Tehzeebi Awaizish) not only defined the struggle for independence but also shaped the post-partition challenges regarding national language and regional identities. The study concludes that Pakistan’s inception was an act of civilizational survival, aiming to preserve the religious, linguistic, and cultural heritage of the Muslims of the subcontinent against assimilation.