English is official language of Pakistan while Urdu is national language. Many other languages are spoken within the country including Punjabi, Pashto, Sindhi, Saraiki, Balochi and Brahui. Most of the languages of Pakistan are part of Indo-European languages & span Indo-Iranian range of that family with the Indo-Aryan languages predominant in east & Iranian languages most significant in west as well as Dardic languages in north & northwest.
Urdu is national language of Pakistan & has historical significance as language developed during the Islamic conquests in the Subcontinent during the Mughal Empire and was chosen as neutral language to unite various groups of Pakistan. However language of government is English. Some educational institutes and universities use English. Many other languages are spoken in Pakistan regional tongues from largest to smallest are as follows: Punjabi, Pashtu, Sindhi,Balochi, Saraiki, Hindko, Brahui, Burushaski, Balti, Shina, Khowar. Pakistan has 1 million speakers of Persian. Arabic is popular due to religious significance. Persian is an important literary language in Pakistan.
