Why is Pan-Iranic Identity among Pashtuns so weak ???

[Ghorzang]

1. Azeris are Turkic people.

2. Cultures and traditions change over time and generations. First of all we don't even know if Pashtuns (or our ancestors) celebrated new years the way Iranians & Kurds do. Even if they did, there is no reason for us to resume it.

3. We do have the same new year as other Iranic people, but we don't celebrate this so called "Nowrooz". We just have a "Nawai Kaal".

4. Your Persian and Azeri brothers are busy dominating your culture, language and religion while you are dreaming about a union.

If I was you, I would be more worried about your Iranian brothers across our western borders than Pakistan. The farther we stay from them, the better it would be for us.

[Karachi]

maybe because of culture differences?

[Admin Khan]

Most Pashtuns want nothing to do with Iran. In fact, my experience with more elder Pashtuns, particularly from Kandahar, is that they view Iranians as aggressors, and people whom they have ruled once they picked on their city(Think Battle of Gulnabad).

Remember that Iranians once wanted to rename many Pashtun cities after themselves, like Kandahar to Naderabad, etc. What was the conclusion? Pashtuna under the Hotaks formed a lashkar, burnt Isfahan instead, and the ruler of Iran out of fear gave his crown away.

[Ghorzang]

Yusufzaia why make everything so complicated? Forget about the past and worry about the future. Right now we have nothing in common with those people living in Iran. It is in our best interest to stay as far away as possible from them.

Even if they were Sunnis, they would still be after your language and identity. No body cares about this so called Pan-Iranic identity any more. At this point of time, we are Pashtuns, Balochs, Kurds, Persians, Azeri Turks and so on - not Iranian/Aryan.

[Kushan Prince]

First of all Pashtuns are not Iranian people. This is just a claim made by Persian nationalist to create separation between Pashtuns. Pashtuns don't celebrate naw Ruz because its a Persian holiday celebrated by Iranian peoples. We have our own holiday called naway kal celebrated in a totally different month. Back then pashtuns were like native americans fighting other tribes for control of a region. Pretty pathetic and this is how the Persians influenced their culture in our land easily. But thanks to Ahmad shah baba we reunited and revolted against Persian nationalism.

[HalloIsBack]

First of all Pashtuns are not Iranian people. This is just a claim made by Persian nationalist to create separation between Pashtuns. Pashtuns don't celebrate naw Ruz because its a Persian holiday celebrated by Iranian peoples. We have our own holiday called naway kal celebrated in a totally different month. Back then pashtuns were like native americans fighting other tribes for control of a region. Pretty pathetic and this is how the Persians influenced their culture in our land easily. But thanks to Ahmad shah baba we reunited and revolted against Persian nationalism.

Nowruz is celebrating not only by Iranian people!

[Afghanistan2010]

We in contrary look forward to the day Iran is bombed by anyone,so we can fall them on their backs and stab them to death ! People will ask why ?
Because it is enough reason to point toward the treatment of Afghans in Iran.
Their crimes in Iraq,by using militias to target innocents there another reason.

[badmash_khel]

Pan Iranic identity is not strong because the biggest iranic country Iran has become the vehicle of twelver shiism and majority of iranic people who are sunni want nothing to do with it. People change over time and split off from the main Branch. At one point even Indian and Iranics were one people but went their seperate ways. Same thing happened to pashtuns and other groups, some went extinct and some formed their own unique identities.

Pashtuns are now a nation of 40 plus million, they will never accept persian rule ever again after what he safavids did. Sure there is some shared cultural ties but Pashtuns have better things to worry about than pan iranism. Pashtuns know very well that some people have hidden agenda of persianization rather than an equal brotherhood of iranian nations.

[torkham]

Pashto being 'iranic' is a linguistic category, with weak ethnic or cultural link. So here is the first weak link to separate any nauroz or pan iranic connections.

The Abdali/nadershah battling out with hotaki reference you claim, is not unusual, tribal loyalties are strong in tribal societies and so are enmities, but all enmeties can be superceded if alien group is involved. Reference to gulf arabian tribes fighting it out, like otaibi's against qahtani's etc. can be easily twisted, if outsider comes and attacks either otaibi or qahtani, then the tribes are united against common enemy. Multi-layered tribal politics.