Despite the fact that over 60% of the general population of Baloch speak Balochi, there is still no standard newspaper for the Balochi speaking public. Other newspapers written in other languages dominate the press. Other sections of the media have played an important role in the standardization of the Balochi language. For instance, the radio has eased the understanding between various dialects. Also, literary scholars who are keen in coming up with a standardized language have stirred up a debate in regards to which script and dialect to use when it comes to literary publications. To avoid the danger of standardization being implemented too fast, which can lead to the distortion of the language,there is general consensus that each writer should use the dialect in which they are proficient in and as a result, standardization of the language will eventually take place over time.
Balochi, Baloci, Baluci, or Baluchi is a North Iranian language that is spoken by about 7 million people. Balochi speakers can be found in Pakistan, India, Afghanistan, Arab Gulf, East African and Turkmenistan. Balochi is the primary language spoken by the Baloch of Balochistan. It is recognized as one of the nine official languages of Pakistan. The language has two main dialects; eastern and western dialect, with the western dialect being the most widely spoken. The western dialect has two other dialects; Rakshani and Makrani. Before the 19th century, Balochi was an unwritten language. It was first written using Latins script, based on an alphabet system developed by British linguists. After Pakistan’s independence in 1947, the Urdu- Arabic script was adopted.
In 1989, Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto allowed the use of Balochi as the main means of instruction in Primary schools. However, this brought about a lot of problems. The main challenge being that other minority language groups also wanted their languages to be included in the school curriculum. In addition, most parents wanted their children to learn English and Urdu so as to be able to communicate with other people outside the community. The Balochistan University in Quetta has a language studies section that focuses on research and teaching of the language.
