Provision:
Preservation of Language, Script and Culture
Any section of citizens having a distinct language, script or culture shall have the right to preserve and promote the same, and subject to law, establish institutions for that purpose.
Meaning:
Article 28 protects the cultural and linguistic rights of all communities within Pakistan. It allows groups that have their own language, script, or cultural traditions to safeguard and promote them. This includes the right to teach their language, celebrate cultural practices, and establish institutions like schools, cultural centres, or academies.
The article supports the country’s multicultural identity and ensures that national unity does not come at the cost of cultural erasure.
Application:
When a community runs a language school, publishes literature in its native script, or holds cultural festivals, it is exercising its rights under Article 28.
For example, Sindhi, Balochi, Pashto, Punjabi, and other ethnic communities can lawfully preserve their linguistic and cultural heritage through their own educational and cultural institutions. Any attempt by the state to suppress such efforts without legal justification would violate this constitutional right.