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Originally posted by Toramana
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Now they think we are slaves. Even though no one fought the British harder than southern Pashtuns. History is proof of this. The Karlanri federation, constant rebellions in Pakhtunkhwa... we fought like dogs but they don't count that. Don't you realize they are killing our history and passing it off as their own. Can't you see that they view our people as lesser Pashtuns?
You obviously can't because you are driven by your hatred for Pakistan so far that you can't think critically. Even if you know you will ignore it.
Of course that will be until the day they brush you under the carpet despite the fact you were the first one calling for Pashtun unity and the Afghans did nothing while you did all the work for it.
I had a friend of a friend who reverted from Pashtun Nationalist to Pakistani. My biggest mistake was destroying my own contact base and reputation (I suffered from a disaster and its not my fault but I should have explained my perspective better.) I would have as the ex leader of the PNA-Canada chapter even arranged to have him on this forum.
Tormana I can only say you are countering whatever hate you suffered from the Punjabis with hate yourself. This is a huge mistake. Pashtuns win people over with great hospitality and melmastia. Not by starting to spit on their own nation, their own sacrifices and calling our ancestors and warriors like Karnal Sher Khan mislead.
I feel sorry for you now.
In other words, any person who has an understanding of power/geopolitical dynamics will accept that every ruler without any exception tries to preserve and expand his/her power and territory let alone lose or sell it to another power until forced. If a ruler is forced by a hegemonic power to surrender its territory, he/she tries to surrender as less as possible (and, conversely, tries to retain as much as possible). This is almost the natural instinct of rulers. And that is exactly what Amir Abdur Rahman Khan did, a pragmatic and smart move for in the part retained i.e., Afghanistan in this case, Pashtun/Afghan power could be re-consolidated and identity and culture preserved and promoted----and ultimately a campaign launched to take back the part lost to the hegemonic power.
There was nothing more lowly, more pathetic than what Amir Abdur Rahman Khan did, especially from a southern Nationalist Pashtuns perspective which I have seriously begun doubting that you are as soon as you made that comment. This just proves you are parroting the Afghans claims and have no originality... you want to move from (so-called) slavery of the Punjabis to slavery of the Northerners (Afghans-who happen to also include Tajiks Hazaras and Uzbeks now)
If he hadn't done it you guys would be one. Maybe conquered by the British but there would be NO division, no durand line. Wasn't that what you wanted? Perhaps not as proven by your comment.
What Abdur Rahman Khan did also pushes claims that Afghans make over the south right into the dustbin. It is totally UNFAIR to the Pakistani Pashtun that you abandon us at that time then come back a hundred years later when the Pakistani Pashtun went through a huge struggle against the British and for Pakistan and say we are one again.
It sent the message that "hey when we didn't need you we threw you away to save us from Brits but when we need you we will come running back to you?" Is it fair. The Pakistani Pashtun has made his place in Pakistan, gotten jobs in governance and controls about 25% of the military for godsake. You want us to lose all of that for a foolish dream even though the Afghan threw us away like garbage. You guys aren't thinking Toramana. You are leading our race to suicide.
This is nothing a real Pashtun Nationalist would want. Toramana you have constantly made ridiculous claims against me but you must be truthful about whether you are from the north or south.
I don't know why it is so hard for Afghans to understand that after what they did. After we were separated by different history for 100 years it is totally UNFAIR to the Pakistani Pashtun that the Afghan comes running back again and says we are one.
In fact, this lays at the heart of Pakistan's policy towards Pashtun and Afghanistan and the issues between the two states (compounded by the fact that Pakistan is a little Punjabi-Mahajar Empire than any pluralistic federalist state representing the aspiration of all the component nations i.e., Baluch, Pashtuns, Sindhis, etc.).
Please. Please Toramana, you're giving me a headache. You have no alternative solutions to the perceived "hegemony", people like you obviously won't join the institutions to have a stronger Pashtun within Pakistan and take power from the Punjabi and Urdu speakers hands, you parrot Afghans and personally I hate to say it but I feel you are a disgrace to Pakhtunkhwa. Any Pashtun Nationalist claiming what Abdur Rahman Khan did was good can barely even be called a Pashtun Nationalist.
It divided us forever. It was the start of the division between southern and northern Pashtun and the British had no part in it but solely the Afghans were to blame.
No foreign power can divide us until Pashtuns themselves wanted to be divided. At that time the Afghans wanted us to be divided while we begged them not to... and today the Afghans want us to be one nation while we refuse to entertain their pleas... and for our own better that is.
The Muhajir-Punjabi elite of Pakistan is living under the perpetual fear that should Afghanistan become stable and powerful, that would arouse nationalistic sentiments in Lar Pashtuns. Not only this; the Indic rulers also fear that should Pashtuns in Afghanistan or Pakistan become economically prosperous and educated, and develop/promote their culture and language, it would lead to the awakening of Pashtun national sentiments. They have, therefore, conspired to keep Pashtuns weak and erase Pashtun history and consciousness from the minds of Pashtun youth through state-controlled/designed education and curricula, official history, and media propaganda .
People like you may witness a rude awakening. You are totally discounting the Pakistani Pashtun who will die a thousand deaths today but not let his land be divided. He has been "Pakistanized" completely.
We don't believe the state tried to keep us weak. Instead I will admit that it was cruelly negligent towards the aspirations of the poor. But the Pashtuns alone did not suffer. Every race suffered.
Second, the hegemonic power which imposed the Durand Line on the Amir was the British Empire. And it had motives/agenda in doing so i.e., to counter the southward expansion of Tsarist Russia as there was imperial rivalry going on between these two empires in Central Asia at that time (named the Great Game). The division of Pashtun Land occurred as a result of Three Fold Frontier policy of the British Raj (strategy in the Great Game) which divided Pashtun Land as three layers/folds of defense against any southward expansion of Russia where the first layer was Afghanistan (with internal autonomy but not external), the second layer the FATA ( administered through political department of the British Raj), and settled areas (to be fully integrated into British India).
The British were just eager to grab land. They wanted to rule the world.
This leads to two conclusions; (1) British Empire was a hegemonic power that forcefully confiscated Pashtun Lands. As such, it did interfere (imposing on them an alien language e.g. Urdu, administration, etc.) in Pashtuns affairs. Evidence are the three Anglo-Afghan wars and the countless battles that Pashtuns fought with the British Empire in the Pashtun border land; (2) Pakistan claims to be a heir to British Empire. As such, it inherited that policy maintaining colonial hold over Pashtun Land and manipulation of Pashtun Culture and identity.
I maintain that NO amount of interference could have divided the Pashtun had not the Pashtun wanted to be divided. Yesterday you (Afghans-I seriously think you are a northerner) threw us away. We didn't want it. Its proven by the fact how powerful the khudai khidmatgars were even when Jinnah was seeking partition... but now (and even in 47) the majority of Pashtuns wanted to be with Pakistan and had seen how the north was capable of betraying them.
Its always claimed that elections were incorrect by these fanatics. This is political point scoring by the losing side. They can never admit that they were never the more powerful side and the majority of Pashtuns wanted the division.
For example did you know Balochistan was handed over by the Khan of Kalat himself. His grandson has made the statement himself. Propaganda is good but only those who identify with the views of the propagandist accept it as their bread and butter. Needless to say you do.
Third even if we assume (a sinister thinking though) Amir Abdur Rahman Khan sold Lar Pashtuns, we should ask ourselves a question; whether that decision was accepted by Pashtuns/Afghans of Afghanistan at large---and whether it is wise for the broader Pashtun fraternity to accept that division? History is witness to it, they never accepted that decision. Even today it is un-imaginable that any Pashtun leader would suggest accepting the Durand Line and Pashtun division.
with Brits and threw them away. Pakistani Pashtuns accept the Durand line as do smart, noble Afghans like KGOD and revolutionthroughreason. Racists don't. Either way no one cares about them. Not the Afghans who will use them and discard them... nor the Pakistani Pashtuns who are adamant not to lose what position they have in Pakistani society.
Last, there is another dimension to this. Irrespective of what or who caused our division, our survival as a ethno-cultural entity and nation, and the preservation of our culture/identity depend on Pashtun unity of some sort and ending of the divisions e.g., it is better 50 millions Pashtuns standing for Pashto language than just 20 millions.
I am glad that you have said something that you have said after shedding your cloak of hatred. I congratulate you. Of course its sometimes hard to remember that it was racist Punjabis who wrapped you in that cloak... however it is also difficult to fathom that you haven't flung the cloak away and burnt it and tried to win the Punjabi with love.
The Pashto language deserves to be promoted, culture deserves to be promoted... if unity is about this... not grabbing our lands then Pakistani Pashtuns will be the first for unity because as Barakzai said though our future is different our past is one and due to that past a bond exists.
United we stand, divided we fall.
Except if the Afghans do this to us--->
In the name of unity.
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