When you think Mandarin, you think China.
Only that a news – which turned out to be fake – linked Mandarin to ...wait for it... Pakistan. Yes, a news report by Pakistani news channel, AbbTak, claimed that the country had passed a resolution to declare Mandarin as its official language.
Not Urdu. Not English. But Mandarin.
The step was taken, the report went on, to deepen China-Pakistan ties and help facilitate easy communication for people engaged with China Pakistan Economic Corridor.
Indian Media Fell For It...
The news spread across the border – with news agency ANI and other media houses in India running the claim.
“Ni Hao: Pakistan Senate approves motion to teach Chinese in govt schools,” stated the headline of the India Today report.
“CPEC effect: Pakistan tags China’s Mandarin as official language month after replacing dollar with yuan for bilateral trade”, said Financial Express .
India.com, Outlook.com, International Business Times were some of the other Indian publications that had followed suit.
Those on Twitter who fell for the news included Pakistan's Ambassador to the US, Hussain Haqqani, who expressed his disappointment at the government’s isolation of the region’s other native languages.
Others expressed the threat of the Chinese influence.
Some (racist) jokes were shared, too.
Not True, After All
According to a Dawn report published last year, Pakistanis were reported to have shown more inclination to learn Chinese than ever before. Knowing Mandarin would open multiple avenues for the country’s job market, the report added.
However, there was no official confirmation whatsoever from Chinese or Pakistani officials. Some Twitter users, though, called out the fake news.
So, What Actually Happened?
ProPakistani.pk published the actual motion presented by Pakistan People’s Party Senator Khalida Parveen on Monday.
This House recommends that in view of the growing collaboration between Pakistan and China under the CPEC, courses of the official Chinese language should be launched for all current and prospective Pakistani CPEC human resource in order to overcome any costly communication barriers.Motion presented by PPP’s Senator Khalida Parveen
The recommendation was in view of the growing ties between both nations under CPEC, ProPakistani.pk stated. Reports claim that Pakistan’s growing closeness to the dragon country under the multi-billion dollar CPEC project is popularising the language in the country. However, it has fallen short of being sanctioned the status of a foreign language, Scroll reported.
Even when credible Pakistani channels didn’t report this news, Indian media continued to spread the erroneous news about the country making Mandarin its official language in the rush to grab headlines, Scroll reported. Reportedly, it was viewed as a masterstroke by Pakistan to appease China.
(With inputs from ProPakistani.pk , Scroll)
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