Mother Tongue and Climate Change: A Reflection from Gilgit Baltistan
By Israruddin Israr
Every year on February 21st, the world celebrates International Mother Language Day, commemorating the struggle of Bangladeshi students who sacrificed their lives for the right to speak their mother tongue. On February 21, 1952, Bangladeshi students protested against the Pakistani government’s decision to impose Urdu as the only state language, despite Bengali being spoken by the majority. Defying a government ban, students marched in Dhaka, where police opened fire, killing several, including Salam, Rafiq, Barkat, and Jabbar. Their sacrifice led to Bengali being recognized as an official language in 1956 and fueled Bangladesh’s independence movement. In 1999, UNESCO declared February 21st as International Mother Language Day to honor their struggle and promote linguistic diversity worldwide. This day highlights the importance of linguistic diversity and cultural heritage. Language is not merely a collection of words; it is a vessel of history, identity, and knowledge. When a language disappears, an entire world of traditions, stories, and ways of living vanishes with it.
0n February 2025, in Gilgit, the Saskin Research and Development Center celebrated the day by inviting stakeholders to discuss the intersection of climate change and mother tongues. As one of the speakers, I attempted to explore this complex relationship, recognizing that both subjects demand expertise. However, even as a learner, I sought to link them based on fundamental knowledge of both topics.
Climate-induced displacement, urbanization, and forced migration are major threats to linguistic minorities worldwide. UNESCO reports that a total of seven thousand languages are spoken in the world. Forty percent of them are endangered, and the majority of those endangered languages belong to communities highly vulnerable to climate change. As natural disasters, rising temperatures, and environmental degradation push people away from their native lands, they are forced into urban centers where dominant languages replace their mother tongues. Such generational language shift further endangers indigenous cultures, leading to the erosion of knowledge embedded within these languages.
Gilgit Baltistan (GB) is a region that exemplifies both linguistic and climatic vulnerability. The seven languages spoken in GB—Shina, Burushaski, Wakhi, Khowar, Balti, Domaki, and Gojri—are all endangered. Climate-induced disasters have caused massive displacement, breaking the chain of generational language transmission. Moreover, the lack of educational policies promoting mother-tongue instruction, along with globalization and digitalization, further threatens these languages.
Despite guarantees provided under international and national legal frameworks, including Article 27 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), Article 27 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), Article 30 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), and Article 28 and 251 of the Constitution of Pakistan, the government has failed to ensure the promotion and preservation of local languages. These legal instruments recognize the right of linguistic minorities to enjoy and develop their language and culture without discrimination. However, there is a significant gap between these guarantees and their implementation in Pakistan, particularly in Gilgit Baltistan.
The local languages of Gilgit Baltistan are rich in ecological wisdom, containing generations of knowledge about climate adaptation and resilience. This knowledge is woven into customary laws, sustainable agricultural practices, and traditional resource management systems. For example, the region has long upheld Shina Speaking community-based conservation practices such as Rajaki, Taawan and Zaitun a traditional system for protecting nature, and customary penalties for cutting down forests. These traditional practices have historically safeguarded rangelands, agriculture, forests, plantations, and renewable energy sources.
GB’s cultural traditions are deeply tied to nature. Plantation has been considered a sacred activity, and eco-friendly festivals such as Navroz, Haymas, Shinsho Goht, and Takhum Razi were celebrated in accordance with seasonal cycles and agricultural productivity. Until the 1990s, GB had minimal dependence on fossil fuels. The region had no large-scale transport systems, LPG use, or mechanized farming, and consequently, produced negligible greenhouse gases. Forests thrived, sustaining the delicate ecological balance. However, unplanned urbanization and eco-unfriendly construction practices have since taken a severe toll on the environment.
The oral traditions of Gilgit Baltistan—its proverbs, songs, poetry, and storytelling—serve as repositories of ecological wisdom. Prominent Shina poets such as Khalifa Rehmat Malang Jan, Abdullah Malang, Fazal ul Rehman Alamgir, Jan Ali, Ameen Zia, Abdul Khaliq Taj, Baber Khan Baber, Zafar Waqar Taj and many others have expressed deep environmental consciousness through their poetry. The region’s literature and folk tales frequently reference natural cycles, the importance of conservation, and warnings against environmental destruction. For instance, seasonal birds were traditionally seen as indicators of climatic changes and natural disasters, serving as early warning signals for communities.
The resilience of these communities in responding to natural disasters is also evident in recent examples, such as the community response in Bubar village. Traditional knowledge systems have often proved more effective than modern interventions in dealing with natural calamities.
Climate change is not just an environmental crisis; it is a cultural crisis. It threatens not only natural ecosystems but also the linguistic and cultural heritage of indigenous communities. The erosion of languages leads to the loss of invaluable knowledge about sustainable living, conservation practices, and ecological balance.
To address this issue, we must recognize the importance of preserving and promoting local languages as a means of climate adaptation. Concrete steps should include: Introducing mother-tongue-based instruction in schools to ensure language preservation. Establishing research centers dedicated to linguistic and ecological documentation. Encouraging storytelling, poetry, and music in local languages to keep indigenous wisdom alive. Retaining original names of mountains, rivers, and villages in local languages. Training local guides who can communicate the ecological significance of the region in their native languages. Marketing food, fruits, and handicrafts under their indigenous names to promote cultural identity and economic sustainability. Apart from this, the updated knowledge about the protection of the environment should be translated into the local languages of Gilgit Baltistan.
Language and climate change are deeply interconnected. In Gilgit Baltistan, the loss of mother tongues is not just a linguistic tragedy; it signifies the loss of traditional ecological wisdom that has sustained communities for centuries. Preserving and promoting indigenous languages is essential for climate resilience, cultural identity, and sustainable development. As we navigate the challenges of climate change, we must also safeguard the knowledge embedded in our languages, ensuring that future generations inherit both a thriving environment and a rich cultural heritage.
Language activists are encouraged to promote linguistic harmony rather than extremism, as no language can thrive without integrating with science, and technology, and expanding into all spheres of communication. This includes the creation of modern literature and the documentation of classical works. Without these connections, linguistic extremism isolates a language, ultimately pushing it toward endangerment and extinction. Moreover, language activism should be inclusive, ensuring the participation of women and people of all genders.
The contributor is a Gilgit-based human rights activist and columnist; he can be reached at israrhrcpglt@gmail.com
