The Persian language and Urdu have had an intricate relationship throughout the history of the latter. Persian historically played a significant role in the formation and development of the modern Urdu, and today acts as its prestige language. Persian was displaced by Urdu during colonial rule in India, though it remains in use in its native Iran (as Farsi), Afghanistan (as Dari) and Tajikistan (as Tajik). Urdu is currently the official language and lingua franca of Pakistan, and an officially recognized language in India.