Tag: Arabic language

  • PM Shehbaz talks with Palestinian President in Arabic

    PM Shehbaz talks with Palestinian President in Arabic

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif—who is currently in Kazakhstan—interacted with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Arabic at the sidelines of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) Summit.

    In the brief talk, PM Shehbaz said that he is extremely grateful for the country’s help during the flood crisis in Pakistan. To which the Palestinian president said, “Pakistan is our home and Pakistanis are our brothers and sisters”.

    The PM also assured Abbas that Pakistan will continue to raise its voice in the support of Palestine.

    The video is gaining attention, leaving viewers amazed at the Prime Minister’s proficiency in Arabic.

    Earlier, The Current reached out to PM’s Focal Person on Digital Media, Muhammad Abubakar Umer, to confirm exactly how many languages can the premier speak.

    He said that the premier is fluent in German, Arabic and English along with Punjabi and Urdu. According to him, PM Shehbaz can speak basic level Turkish, Chinese, Russian, Pashtu and Sindhi.

    The focal person revealed that PM Shehbaz learned Arabic formally while in exile during former President General Pervez Musharraf’s era. To our surprise, we also got to know that the premier holds a diploma in Arabic.

    Exclusive: You will not believe how many languages PM Shehbaz Sharif can speak

    PM Shehbaz has been the talk of the town since a video went viral in which he can be heard speaking in German with a family.

    In the video, shared by the Government of Pakistan, the PM was talking to a German family in their own language. The family was rescued during floods in Swat. Twitter was stunned at the Premier’s fluency in the language.

    After the video went viral, social media started speculation that Shehbaz Sharif might know more languages.

    According to Abubakar, PM Shehbaz knows a total of ten languages.

    “He learned Chinese and Turkish during his tenure as Chief Minister (CM) Punjab from 2013 to 2018 as at the time he had to engage with Chinese and Turkish officials for China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC),” said Abubakar.

    He learned German and Russian during the 1970s and 80s for his business dealings. “At the time, he was not in government”, said Abubakar.

    Abubakar also revealed that before going to any foreign country PM Shehbaz hires an instructor who informs him about the cultural aspects of the country, how people greet each other and what social norms are appreciated there.

  • Arabic teaching compulsory in Islamabad schools after Senate okays bill

    Arabic teaching compulsory in Islamabad schools after Senate okays bill

    All primary and secondary schools in Islamabad are required to introduce the Arabic language as a compulsory subject after the Senate approved the Compulsory Teaching of the Arabic Language Bill 2020 on Monday.

    The bill presented by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senator Javed Abbasi was endorsed by all members of the upper house, except Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Senator Raza Rabbani who wrote a dissenting note. The bill will be implemented within six months.

    As per the bill, Arabic will be taught in schools in Islamabad from grades 1-5, while Arabic grammar will be taught in grades 6-12.

    Senator Abbasi said Arabia is “the fifth most spoken language in the world”, adding that it would also open up more job opportunities for Pakistanis in the Middle East. According to the senator, the Holy Quran is in Arabic and “we would not go through the problems we are currently facing had we understood the Holy Quran”.

    Parliamentary Minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Ali Muhammad Khan also agreed with Abbasi. He said the bill was in line with Article 31 of the Constitution that says: “Measures should be taken to spend our lives according to the Holy Quran and Sunnah.”

    According to Khan, learning Arabic was crucial to “become a good Muslim […] and understand God’s message”.

    However, PPP’s Rabbani said that legislation to make Arabic a mandatory language in schools was an attempt to “use Islamic for political purposes”. He further termed this an attempt to erase the diversity of Pakistan by imposing the foreign Arabic culture.

    “The Arab culture is not mine, [the] Indus Valley [Civilisation] is my culture,” he said, adding the Arabic language has nothing to do with Islam or Quran beyond being the language it was revealed in.

    In a response to The Current’s story on Instagram, PPP Senator Sherry Rehman said that contrary to the media reports, the PPP opposed the said bill.