Urdu (; Urdu: اُردُو, Urdū, (also known as Lashkari, locally written لشکری ) —or, more precisely, Modern Standard Urdu—is a Persianised standard register of the Hindustani language. Urdu is the official national language, and lingua franca of Pakistan. In India, it is one of 22 constitutionally recognised official languages - having official status in the five states of Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal, as well as the national capital territory of Delhi. Urdu is also understood by those Afghans who lived as refugees in Pakistan,, following the 1979 Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan. Emigration from India and Pakistan have also lead to the establishment of Urdu-speaking communities in several parts of the world, notable in the Middle East, Europe and North America.
